Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EFA vs VYMI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% to VYMI's +22.3%; 51% 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 $21.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYMI costs 0.25 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.2 points; EFA is 3.6 times larger.
| Measure | EFA | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | +22.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 4.6%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Index | FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $76.7bn | $21.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 51% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.3% | 13.8% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 11, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 554 weekly returnsVYMI returned more: +188.1% to +145.6%. VYMI swung slightly less: 15.9% to 16.7%. EFA fell less at its worst: −33.4% to −38.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EFA | VYMI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +145.6% | +188.1% | VYMI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.8% | +10.4% | VYMI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +79.0% | +86.8% | VYMI (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.7% | 15.9% | VYMI (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.7% | 11.4% | VYMI (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −33.4% | −38.3% | EFA | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.45 | 0.55 | VYMI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.64 | 0.78 | VYMI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.26 | 0.27 | VYMI (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 554 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EFA and VYMI hold 51% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
51% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EFA and VYMI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EFA and VYMI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EFA follows MSCI EAFE Index and VYMI follows FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 EFA returned +12.1% and VYMI +22.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 10.2 points.
- Cost. EFA charges 0.32% of assets a year and VYMI 0.07%, a gap of 0.25 points.
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.
VYMI
VYMI tracks an index of International High Dividend Yield. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +22.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 1,509 positions, with the top ten at 13.8%. It sat 4.6% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VYMI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and VYMI +22.3%.
- Which is cheaper, EFA or VYMI?
- VYMI is cheaper, by 0.25 percentage points a year. That is about $25 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 VYMI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vymi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EFA against VYMI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vymi
[EFA against VYMI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vymi)
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