Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EWU vs VGK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EWU returned +13.9% to VGK's +10.4%; 20% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $3.7bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF, and $29.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF.
Pair scorecard
VGK costs 0.44 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.5 points; VGK is 8.0 times larger.
| Measure | EWU | VGK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.9% | +10.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.3%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 6.1%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI United Kingdom Index | FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.50% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $3.7bn | $29.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 20% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 53.0% | 19.0% |
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 returnsVGK returned more: +270.3% to +190.7%. EWU swung slightly less: 20.3% to 20.9%. EWU and VGK fell about the same at their worst: −62.4% and −62.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EWU | VGK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +190.7% | +270.3% | VGK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +5.0% | +6.2% | VGK | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +28.8% | +71.8% | VGK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 20.3% | 20.9% | EWU (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.8% | 15.1% | EWU (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −62.4% | −62.1% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.26 | 0.31 | VGK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.35 | 0.43 | VGK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.08 | 0.10 | VGK | 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, EWU and VGK hold 20% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
20% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EWU and VGK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EWU and VGK are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. EWU follows MSCI United Kingdom Index and VGK follows FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 20% 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 EWU returned +13.9% and VGK +10.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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EWU
EWU tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.9% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.50% 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 67 positions, with the top ten at 53.0%. It sat 4.3% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VGK
VGK tracks an index of European Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.4% 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 1,245 positions, with the top ten at 19.0%. It sat 6.1% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWU or VGK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWU returned +13.9% and VGK +10.4%.
- Which is cheaper, EWU or VGK?
- VGK is cheaper, by 0.44 percentage points a year. That is about $44 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, EWU against VGK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewu-vs-vgk
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EWU against VGK. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewu-vs-vgk
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