Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VEA vs VEU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VEA returned +17.1% to VEU's +14.4%; 73% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $231.6bn for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF and $68.1bn for Vanguard FTSE All World Ex US ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.7 points; VEA is 3.4 times larger.
| Measure | VEA | VEU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.1% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 5.0%, high on Sep 4, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index | FTSE All-World ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $231.6bn | $68.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 73% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 13.6% | 15.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 3, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,003 weekly returnsVEA returned slightly more: +160.9% to +152.1%. VEA and VEU swung about the same: 19.5% and 19.4%. VEA and VEU fell about the same at their worst: −59.0% and −60.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VEA | VEU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +160.9% | +152.1% | VEA (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +5.1% | +4.9% | VEA (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +46.4% | +46.7% | Tie | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.5% | 19.4% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.2% | 14.1% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.0% | −60.1% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.28 | 0.27 | VEA (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.38 | 0.37 | VEA (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.09 | 0.08 | VEA (slight) | 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, VEA and VEU hold 73% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
73% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VEA and VEU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VEA and VEU are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index and VEU follows FTSE All-World ex US Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VEA returned +17.1% and VEU +14.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.7 points.
- Size. VEA has $231.6bn in net assets and VEU $68.1bn (net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026); VEA is 3.4 times larger.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VEU
VEU tracks the FTSE All-World ex-US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% 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 3,816 positions, with the top ten at 15.2%. It sat 5.0% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VEA or VEU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VEA returned +17.1% and VEU +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, VEA or VEU?
- VEA is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 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, VEA against VEU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vea-vs-veu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VEA against VEU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vea-vs-veu
[VEA against VEU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vea-vs-veu)
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