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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and HYG +1.3%.

Which is cheaper, EFA or HYG?

EFA is cheaper, by 0.17 percentage points a year. That is about $17 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

EFA vs HYG: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% to HYG's +1.3%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $76.8bn for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and $17.5bn for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.

EFA on its own →HYG on its own →

At a glance

+12.1%

EFA total return, 1 year

+1.3%

HYG total return, 1 year

0.32%

EFA expense ratio

0.49%

HYG expense ratio

Pair scorecard

EFA costs 0.17 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.8 points; EFA is 4.4 times larger.

EFA vs HYG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	EFA	HYG
Return
Measure	EFA	HYG
Total return, 1 year	+12.1%	+1.3%
Drawdown
Measure	EFA	HYG
Below its high	4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	EFA	HYG
What it tracks	MSCI EAFE Index	Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index
Cost and size
Measure	EFA	HYG
Expense ratio	0.32%	0.49%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$76.8bn	$17.5bn
Holdings
Measure	EFA	HYG
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

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, EFA and HYG hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first EFA HYG

Only in one fund ↓

Only in EFA

ASML HOLDING 2.98%

ROCHE PS PAR AG 1.58%

SHELL 1.42%

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.38%

NOVARTIS AG 1.33%

ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.21%

NESTLE SA 1.21%

SAP 1.13%

Only in HYG

1261229 BC LTD 144A 0.56%

MERIDIAN ARC HOLDCO LLC 144A 0.44%

ECHOSTAR CORP 0.40%

QUIKRETE HOLDINGS INC 144A 0.35%

PR RNO PROPERTY OWNER 1 LLC 144A 0.34%

CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP LLC 144A 0.32%

SOFTBANK GROUP CORP 144A 0.32%

CENTENE CORPORATION 0.31%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF HYG iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks an index of Developed markets ex US Tracks an index of US high yield bonds

Total return, 1 year +12.1% +1.3%

Its benchmark over the same days +14.3% (ACWX) −1.2% (IUSB)

Gap to its benchmark −2.2 pts vs ACWX +2.5 pts vs IUSB

Expense ratio 0.32% 0.49%

Holdings 665 1332

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $76.8bn $17.5bn

EFA and HYG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

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.

HYG

HYG tracks an index of US high yield bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.3% with distributions reinvested, against −1.2% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EFA or HYG?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and HYG +1.3%.
Which is cheaper, EFA or HYG?: EFA is cheaper, by 0.17 percentage points a year. That is about $17 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

EFA vs USHY EFA vs JNK EFA vs EMB EFA vs LQD HYG vs VXUS HYG vs IEFA HYG vs VEA HYG vs SCHF

Where to next

EFA on its own →HYG on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →EFA dividend history →EFA holdings →HYG dividend history →HYG holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

EFA and HYG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

EFA prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for EFA ↗

HYG prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for HYG ↗

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 HYG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-hyg

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.