Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VWO vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VWO returned +4.8% to VYM's +18.0%; 0% 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 $78.9bn for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.2 points; VWO is 1.6 times larger.
| Measure | VWO | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.8% | +18.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.0%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $125.4bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 29.8% | 26.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 24, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,039 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +487.1% to +161.9%. VYM swung less: 16.7% to 22.4%. VYM fell less at its worst: −56.7% to −63.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VWO | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +161.9% | +487.1% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.9% | +9.3% | VYM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +51.9% | +220.2% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.4% | 16.7% | VYM | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.9% | 11.8% | VYM | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −63.8% | −56.7% | VYM | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.26 | 0.52 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.36 | 0.73 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.08 | 0.16 | VYM | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,039 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VWO and VYM hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VWO and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VWO and VYM 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 VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% 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 VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 13.2 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.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VWO or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VWO returned +4.8% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, VWO or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 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 VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VWO against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-vym
[VWO against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-vym)
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