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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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EFA vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% to VYM's +18.0%; 1% 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 $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.

EFA on its own →VYM on its own →
At a glance
+12.1%
EFA total return, 1 year
+18.0%
VYM total return, 1 year
0.32%
EFA expense ratio
0.04%
VYM expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VYM costs 0.28 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.9 points.

EFA vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureEFAVYM
Return
Total return, 1 year+12.1%+18.0%
Drawdown
Below its high4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksMSCI EAFE IndexFTSE High Dividend Yield Index
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.32%0.04%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026$76.7bn$78.9bn
Holdings
Holdings in common1%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund14.3%26.2%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

1%

By the books each fund has filed, EFA and VYM hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

1% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first EFA VYM
PRUDENTIAL PLC 0.14% 0.17%
VINCI SA 0.27% 0.11%
ARISTOCRAT LEISURE 0.11% 0.24%
DEUTSCHE TELEKOM N AG 0.45% 0.11%
MERCK 0.10% 1.52%
ESSILORLUXOTTICA SA 0.28% 0.10%
HELVETIA BALOISE HOLDING N AG 0.09% 0.13%
TESCO PLC 0.21% 0.07%
ADMIRAL GROUP PLC 0.06% 0.16%
BAWAG GROUP AG 0.06% 0.06%
EQT 0.06% 0.12%
APA GROUP UNITS 0.05% 0.06%
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 VYM
Broadcom Inc 6.93%
JPMorgan Chase & Co 3.75%
ExxonMobil Holdings Corp 2.84%
Johnson & Johnson 2.71%
AbbVie Inc 1.96%
Cisco Systems Inc 1.80%
Chevron Corp 1.61%
Caterpillar Inc 1.56%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF VYM Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF
Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF
Issuer iShares Vanguard
What it is Tracks an index of Developed markets ex US Tracks an index of US high dividend
Total return, 1 year +12.1% +18.0%
Its benchmark over the same days +14.3% (ACWX) not measured
Gap to its benchmark −2.2 pts vs ACWX not measured
Expense ratio 0.32% 0.04%
Already in the S&P 500 0.0% 89.5%
Holdings 665 595
Net assets, EFA as of Oct 27, 2026 and VYM as of Sep 30, 2026 $76.8bn $78.9bn

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

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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.

VYM

VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VYM?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and VYM +18.0%.
Which is cheaper, EFA or VYM?
VYM is cheaper, by 0.28 percentage points a year. That is about $28 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do EFA and VYM overlap with the S&P 500?
By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EFA and 90% of VYM by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.
Other comparisons
EFA vs VTVEFA vs HDVEFA vs PVALEFA vs VLUEVXUS vs VYMIEFA vs VYMVEA vs VYMSCHF vs VYM
Where to next
EFA on its own →VYM on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →EFA dividend history →EFA holdings →VYM dividend history →VYM holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
EFA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
EFA prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
iShares page for EFA ↗
VYM filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
VYM prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Vanguard page for VYM ↗

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

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