IEMG vs XCEM: Differences, Returns & Fees
IEMG and XCEM hold 53% of their weight in the same names, and XCEM returned +43.8% over the year. Net assets: $160.2bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, and $2.1bn on Jun 30, 2026 for Columbia EM Core ex-China ETF.
IEMG costs 0.07 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 18.5 points; IEMG is far larger, $160.7bn against $2.1bn.
| IEMG | XCEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.16% |
| Net assets, as of Jun 30, 2026 | $160.7bn | $2.1bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +25.3% | +43.8% |
| What it tracks | MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (IMI) | Beta Thematic Emerging Markets ex-China Index |
| Holdings in common | 53% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 34.0% | 37.4% |
| Below its high | 5.3%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | 6.4%, high on Jun 22, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IEMG and XCEM hold 53% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
half
53% in common
On the same fields
IEMG and XCEM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About IEMG
IEMG tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +25.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,869 positions, with the top ten at 34.0%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
About XCEM
XCEM tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +43.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.16% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 449 positions, with the top ten at 37.4%. It sat 6.4% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IEMG or XCEM?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEMG returned +25.3% and XCEM +43.8%.
- Which is cheaper, IEMG or XCEM?
- IEMG is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, IEMG against XCEM, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-xcem
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). IEMG against XCEM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-xcem
[IEMG against XCEM (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-xcem)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.