Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or IEI?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.0% and IEI returned −1.0%, so IEI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, GOVT or IEI?

GOVT charges 0.05% a year and IEI charges 0.15%, so GOVT 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

GOVT vs IEI: how they differ

GOVT and IEI hold 38% of their weight in the same names.

iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF and iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, GOVT and IEI hold 38% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Positions GOVT and IEI both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding	GOVT	IEI
US TREASURY N/B	0.60%	1.84%
TREASURY NOTE (OTR)	0.55%	0.28%
TREASURY NOTE (2OLD)	0.25%	0.37%
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY	0.11%	0.49%
TREASURY NOTE (OLD)	0.11%	0.98%
TREASURY NOTE	0.01%	0.30%

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in GOVT	Only in IEI
TREASURY BOND (OLD) 0.42%
TREASURY BOND (OTR) 0.16%
TREASURY BOND (2OLD) 0.08%
TREASURY STRIP (INT) 0.04%
TREASURY BOND 0.01%

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.

GOVT and IEI on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF	IEI iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	iShares
What it is	U.S. Treasury Bond	3-7 Year Treasury Bond
Total return, 1 year	−1.0%	−1.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−18.5 pts	−18.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.05%	0.15%
Holdings	216	84

GOVT in plain words

GOVT is a bond fund tracking the U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.4% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.

IEI in plain words

IEI is a bond fund tracking the 3-7 Year Treasury Bond. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 3.0% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or IEI?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.0% and IEI returned −1.0%, so IEI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, GOVT or IEI?: GOVT charges 0.05% a year and IEI charges 0.15%, so GOVT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where to next

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.

GOVT against IEI, 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, GOVT against IEI, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-iei Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources