Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EEM vs VT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EEM returned +16.3% to VT's +13.5%; 9% of their weight is in the same names.
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askIQ about EEM and VTNet assets: $29.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, and $81.8bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total World Stock Index ETF.
Pair scorecard
VT costs 0.66 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.8 points; VT is 2.6 times larger.
| Measure | EEM | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +16.3% | +13.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 10.8%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI Emerging Markets Index | FTSE Global All Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.72% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $31.1bn | $81.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 37.2% | 22.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jul 3, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 955 weekly returnsVT returned more: +371.6% to +110.0%. VT swung less: 18.3% to 23.4%. VT fell less at its worst: −48.3% to −54.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EEM | VT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +110.0% | +371.6% | VT | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.1% | +8.8% | VT | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +44.1% | +221.4% | VT | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.4% | 18.3% | VT | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.4% | 13.1% | VT | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −54.2% | −48.3% | VT | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.23 | 0.48 | VT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.33 | 0.66 | VT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.08 | 0.18 | VT | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 955 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EEM and VT hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
9% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EEM and VT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EEM and VT do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EEM follows MSCI Emerging Markets Index and VT follows FTSE Global All Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 9% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 EEM returned +16.3% and VT +13.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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EEM
EEM tracks an index of Emerging markets. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.72% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,186 positions, with the top ten at 37.2%. It sat 10.8% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VT
VT tracks an index of Total World Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 55% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 10,194 positions, with the top ten at 22.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EEM or VT?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EEM returned +16.3% and VT +13.5%.
- Which is cheaper, EEM or VT?
- VT is cheaper, by 0.66 percentage points a year. That is about $66 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, EEM against VT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vt
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EEM against VT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vt
[EEM against VT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-vt)
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