Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EFA vs EMB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% to EMB's −0.4%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $76.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, and $13.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
EFA costs 0.07 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 12.5 points; EFA is 5.8 times larger.
| Measure | EFA | EMB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | −0.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 3.5%, high on Jun 29, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Index | J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.39% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $76.8bn | $13.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.3% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 28, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 982 weekly returnsEFA and EMB returned about the same: +126.7% and +126.2%. EMB swung less: 11.3% to 19.6%. EMB fell less at its worst: −32.0% to −57.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EFA | EMB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +126.7% | +126.2% | Tie | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.4% | +4.4% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +29.9% | −9.4% | EFA | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 11.3% | EMB | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.3% | 8.4% | EMB | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −57.4% | −32.0% | EMB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.25 | 0.31 | EMB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.34 | 0.42 | EMB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.08 | 0.14 | EMB | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 982 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EFA and EMB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EFA and EMB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EFA and EMB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EFA follows MSCI EAFE Index and EMB follows J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 EFA returned +12.1% and EMB −0.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 12.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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EFA
EFA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% 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 665 positions, with the top ten at 14.3%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
EMB
EMB tracks the J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −0.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% a year. It sat 3.5% below its high of Jun 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EFA or EMB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and EMB −0.4%.
- Which is cheaper, EFA or EMB?
- EFA is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 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, EFA against EMB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-emb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EFA against EMB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-emb
[EFA against EMB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-emb)
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