Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EFA vs VGK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% to VGK's +10.4%; 58% 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 $29.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF.
Pair scorecard
VGK costs 0.26 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.7 points; EFA is 2.6 times larger.
| Measure | EFA | VGK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | +10.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 6.1%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Index | FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $76.7bn | $29.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 58% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.3% | 19.0% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 18, 2005 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,127 weekly returnsVGK returned slightly more: +270.3% to +250.8%. EFA swung slightly less: 19.0% to 20.9%. EFA fell slightly less at its worst: −59.4% to −62.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EFA | VGK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +250.8% | +270.3% | VGK (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.0% | +6.2% | VGK (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +88.5% | +71.8% | EFA | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.0% | 20.9% | EFA (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 15.1% | EFA (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.4% | −62.1% | EFA (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.31 | 0.31 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.42 | 0.43 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.10 | 0.10 | Tie | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,127 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EFA and VGK hold 58% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
58% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EFA and VGK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EFA and VGK do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EFA follows MSCI EAFE Index and VGK follows FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index.
- Cost. EFA charges 0.32% of assets a year and VGK 0.06%, a gap of 0.26 points.
- Holdings in common (similar). 58% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
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.
VGK
VGK tracks an index of European Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% 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 1,245 positions, with the top ten at 19.0%. It sat 6.1% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VGK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and VGK +10.4%.
- Which is cheaper, EFA or VGK?
- VGK is cheaper, by 0.26 percentage points a year. That is about $26 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.
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ETFIQ, EFA against VGK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vgk
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EFA against VGK. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vgk
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