Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EFA vs VWO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% to VWO's +4.8%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about EFA and VWO
Net assets: $76.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, and $125.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VWO costs 0.26 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.3 points; VWO is 1.6 times larger.
| Measure | EFA | VWO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | +4.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 7.0%, high on Sep 4, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Index | FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $76.7bn | $125.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.3% | 29.8% |
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 returnsVWO returned more: +309.0% to +250.8%. EFA swung less: 19.0% to 22.3%. EFA fell slightly less at its worst: −59.4% to −63.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EFA | VWO | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +250.8% | +309.0% | VWO | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.0% | +6.7% | VWO | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +88.5% | +133.1% | VWO | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.0% | 22.3% | EFA | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 15.8% | EFA | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.4% | −63.8% | EFA (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.31 | 0.32 | VWO (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.42 | 0.46 | VWO (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.10 | 0.11 | VWO (slight) | 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 VWO hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EFA and VWO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EFA and VWO do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EFA follows MSCI EAFE Index and VWO follows FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 EFA returned +12.1% and VWO +4.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
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.
VWO
VWO tracks an index of Emerging markets. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.8% 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 6,515 positions, with the top ten at 29.8%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VWO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and VWO +4.8%.
- Which is cheaper, EFA or VWO?
- VWO 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, EFA against VWO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vwo
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EFA against VWO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vwo
[EFA against VWO (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vwo)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.