Which returned more over the last year, EFA or EMB?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and EMB returned +2.8%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EFA or EMB?

EFA charges 0.32% a year and EMB charges 0.39%, so EFA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

EFA vs EMB: how they differ

EFA and EMB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EFA returned more over the year.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, EFA and EMB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in EFA	Only in EMB
ASML HOLDING 3.01%	BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 0.84%
HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.61%	EAGLE FUNDING LUXCO SARL RegS 0.50%
ROCHE PS PAR AG 1.36%	UKRAINE (REPUBLIC OF) C BONDS RegS 0.42%
SHELL PLC 1.25%	ECUADOR REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 0.34%
MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP 1.15%	GHANA (REPUBLIC OF) DISCO RegS 0.31%
NOVARTIS AG 1.15%	CHINA LIFE INSURANCE OVERSEAS CO L RegS 0.28%
NESTLE SA 1.12%	REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY 0.27%
ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.09%	ANGOLA (REPUBLIC OF) RegS 0.26%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.

EFA and EMB on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF	EMB iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	iShares
What it is	Developed markets ex US	J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond
Total return, 1 year	+18.2%	+2.8%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.7 pts	−14.7 pts
Expense ratio	0.32%	0.39%
Holdings	670	612

EFA in plain words

EFA is an index equity fund tracking the Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 670 positions, with the top ten at 13.8%.

EMB in plain words

EMB is a bond fund tracking the J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EFA or EMB?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and EMB returned +2.8%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EFA or EMB?: EFA charges 0.32% a year and EMB charges 0.39%, so EFA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

EFA against EMB, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, EFA against EMB, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-emb Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources