Which returned more over the last year, EMB or IEFA?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned +2.8% and IEFA returned +18.0%, so IEFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EMB or IEFA?

EMB charges 0.39% a year and IEFA charges 0.07%, so IEFA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

EMB vs IEFA: how they differ

EMB and IEFA hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and IEFA returned more over the year.

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF and iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, EMB and IEFA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in EMB	Only in IEFA
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 0.84%	ASML HOLDING 2.62%
EAGLE FUNDING LUXCO SARL RegS 0.50%	HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.40%
UKRAINE (REPUBLIC OF) C BONDS RegS 0.42%	ROCHE PS PAR AG 1.18%
ECUADOR REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 0.34%	SHELL PLC 1.09%
GHANA (REPUBLIC OF) DISCO RegS 0.31%	MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP 1.00%
CHINA LIFE INSURANCE OVERSEAS CO L RegS 0.28%	NOVARTIS AG 0.99%
REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY 0.27%	NESTLE SA 0.97%
ANGOLA (REPUBLIC OF) RegS 0.26%	ASTRAZENECA PLC 0.94%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.

EMB and IEFA on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EMB iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF	IEFA iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	iShares
What it is	J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond	Core MSCI EAFE
Total return, 1 year	+2.8%	+18.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−14.7 pts	+0.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.39%	0.07%
Holdings	612	1650

EMB in plain words

EMB is a bond fund tracking the J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% a year.

IEFA in plain words

IEFA is an index equity fund tracking the Core MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1650 positions, with the top ten at 12.0%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EMB or IEFA?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned +2.8% and IEFA returned +18.0%, so IEFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EMB or IEFA?: EMB charges 0.39% a year and IEFA charges 0.07%, so IEFA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

EMB against IEFA, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, EMB against IEFA, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-iefa Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources