Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VWO vs VXUS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VWO returned +4.8% to VXUS's +13.8%; 28% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $125.4bn for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF and $163.2bn for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF.
Pair scorecard
VXUS costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.0 points; VXUS is 1.3 times larger.
| Measure | VWO | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.8% | +13.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.0%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | 5.1%, high on Sep 4, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $125.4bn | $163.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 28% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 29.8% | 14.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 4, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 820 weekly returnsVXUS returned more: +158.2% to +85.3%. VXUS swung less: 16.5% to 18.5%. VWO and VXUS fell about the same at their worst: −35.3% and −34.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VWO | VXUS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +85.3% | +158.2% | VXUS | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.0% | +6.2% | VXUS | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +20.8% | +62.6% | VXUS | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.5% | 16.5% | VXUS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.2% | 11.8% | VXUS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −35.3% | −34.6% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.22 | 0.35 | VXUS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.30 | 0.49 | VXUS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.11 | 0.18 | VXUS | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 820 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VWO and VXUS hold 28% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
28% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VWO and VXUS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VWO and VXUS do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VWO follows FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index and VXUS follows FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 28% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VWO returned +4.8% and VXUS +13.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 9.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VXUS
VXUS tracks an index of Total International Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% 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 8,913 positions, with the top ten at 14.6%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VWO or VXUS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VWO returned +4.8% and VXUS +13.8%.
- Which is cheaper, VWO or VXUS?
- VXUS 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, VWO against VXUS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-vxus
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VWO against VXUS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-vxus
[VWO against VXUS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-vxus)
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