Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VB vs VWO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VB returned +14.4% to VWO's +4.8%; 1% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $76.9bn for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF and $125.4bn for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.6 points; VWO is 1.6 times larger.
| Measure | VB | VWO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.4% | +4.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 7.0%, high on Sep 4, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Small Cap Index | FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $76.9bn | $125.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.9% | 29.8% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 18, 2005 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,127 weekly returnsVB returned more: +622.0% to +309.0%. VB swung slightly less: 21.8% to 22.3%. VB fell slightly less at its worst: −58.8% to −63.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VB | VWO | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +622.0% | +309.0% | VB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.6% | +6.7% | VB | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +427.5% | +133.1% | VB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 21.8% | 22.3% | VB (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.3% | 15.8% | VB (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −58.8% | −63.8% | VB (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.45 | 0.32 | VB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.63 | 0.46 | VB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.11 | VB | 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, VB and VWO hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VB and VWO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VB and VWO do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index and VWO follows FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index.
- Holdings in common. 1% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VB returned +14.4% and VWO +4.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 9.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VB
VB tracks an index of Small-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,303 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VWO
VWO tracks an index of Emerging markets. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.8% 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 6,515 positions, with the top ten at 29.8%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VB or VWO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VB returned +14.4% and VWO +4.8%.
- Which is cheaper, VB or VWO?
- VB is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 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, VB against VWO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vb-vs-vwo
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