Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EWJ vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EWJ returned +18.1% to XBI's +41.2%, and XBI charges 0.35% to EWJ's 0.49%.
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Net assets: $23.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI Japan ETF, and $10.3bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.
Pair scorecard
XBI costs 0.14 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 23.1 points; EWJ is 2.3 times larger.
| Measure | EWJ | XBI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.1% | +41.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI Japan Index | Biotech |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $23.8bn | $10.3bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 29.5% | 18% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and XBI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EWJ and XBI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EWJ
EWJ tracks the MSCI Japan. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% 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 169 positions, with the top ten at 29.5%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XBI
By weight, 13% of XBI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 18% of the fund across 165 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +41.2% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.9% below its all-time high of Feb 8, 2021.
Questions people ask
- Are EWJ and XBI in the same category?
- EWJ is a stock ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or XBI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +18.1% and XBI +41.2%.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or XBI?
- XBI is cheaper, by 0.14 percentage points a year. That is about $14 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, EWJ against XBI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewj-vs-xbi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EWJ against XBI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewj-vs-xbi
[EWJ against XBI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewj-vs-xbi)
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