Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWM vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWM returned +14.1% to VEA's +17.1%; 2% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $75.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Russell 2000 ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.0 points; VEA is 3.0 times larger.
| Measure | IWM | VEA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.1% | +17.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.6%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 2000 Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $78.0bn | $231.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 3.3% | 13.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 3, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,003 weekly returnsIWM returned more: +374.2% to +160.9%. VEA swung less: 19.5% to 23.4%. IWM fell slightly less at its worst: −57.4% to −59.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWM | VEA | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +374.2% | +160.9% | IWM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.4% | +5.1% | IWM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +265.8% | +46.4% | IWM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.4% | 19.5% | VEA | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.3% | 14.2% | VEA | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −57.4% | −59.0% | IWM (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.40 | 0.28 | IWM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.57 | 0.38 | IWM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.09 | IWM | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,003 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWM and VEA hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWM and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWM and VEA do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IWM follows Russell 2000 Index and VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 2% 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 IWM returned +14.1% and VEA +17.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IWM
IWM tracks the Russell 2000. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% 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 1,977 positions, with the top ten at 3.3%. It sat 7.6% below its high of Aug 14, 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, IWM or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and VEA +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, IWM or VEA?
- VEA is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, IWM against VEA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWM against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-vea
[IWM against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-vea)
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