Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IEFA vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IEFA returned +12.3% to VEA's +17.1%; 70% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $190.4bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.8 points; VEA is 1.2 times larger.
| Measure | IEFA | VEA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.3% | +17.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE IMI Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.07% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $190.2bn | $231.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 70% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 12.3% | 13.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 2, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026 · 729 weekly returnsVEA returned slightly more: +214.8% to +199.1%. IEFA and VEA swung about the same: 16.2% and 16.2%. IEFA and VEA fell about the same at their worst: −34.1% and −34.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IEFA | VEA | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +199.1% | +214.8% | VEA (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.1% | +8.5% | VEA (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +100.2% | +107.4% | VEA (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.2% | 16.2% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.5% | 11.5% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −34.1% | −34.6% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.45 | 0.47 | VEA (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.64 | 0.67 | VEA (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.24 | 0.25 | VEA (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 729 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IEFA and VEA hold 70% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
70% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IEFA and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IEFA and VEA are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IEFA follows MSCI EAFE IMI Index and VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IEFA returned +12.3% and VEA +17.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 4.8 points.
- Holdings in common (similar). 70% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IEFA
IEFA tracks the MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.3% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 2,629 positions, with the top ten at 12.3%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% 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 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IEFA or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEFA returned +12.3% and VEA +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, IEFA or VEA?
- VEA is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 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, IEFA against VEA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iefa-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IEFA against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iefa-vs-vea
[IEFA against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iefa-vs-vea)
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