Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EFA vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% to VEA's +17.1%; 62% 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 $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.0 points; VEA is 3.0 times larger.
| Measure | EFA | VEA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | +17.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $76.7bn | $231.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 62% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.3% | 13.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 3, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,003 weekly returnsVEA returned more: +160.9% to +135.9%. EFA and VEA swung about the same: 19.5% and 19.5%. EFA and VEA fell about the same at their worst: −59.4% and −59.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EFA | VEA | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +135.9% | +160.9% | VEA | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.5% | +5.1% | VEA | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +31.8% | +46.4% | VEA | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.5% | 19.5% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.2% | 14.2% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.4% | −59.0% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.25 | 0.28 | VEA (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.34 | 0.38 | VEA (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.08 | 0.09 | VEA (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,003 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EFA and VEA hold 62% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
62% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EFA and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EFA and VEA are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. EFA follows MSCI EAFE Index and VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 EFA returned +12.1% and VEA +17.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 5.0 points.
- Number of holdings. EFA holds 665 positions and VEA holds 3906.
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.
VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and VEA +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, EFA or VEA?
- VEA is cheaper, by 0.29 percentage points a year. That is about $29 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 VEA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EFA against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vea
[EFA against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vea)
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