Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VWO vs XLV: how they differ
VWO and XLV hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XLV returned more over the year.
Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund and State Street(R) Health Care Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VWO and XLV hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VWO | Only in XLV |
|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Lt 14.73% | ELI LILLY + CO 14.87% |
| Tencent Holdings Ltd 3.28% | JOHNSON + JOHNSON 10.73% |
| Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 2.57% | ABBVIE INC 7.54% |
| Delta Electronics Inc 1.18% | MERCK + CO. INC. 5.98% |
| MediaTek Inc 1.07% | UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC 5.90% |
| Reliance Industries Ltd 0.90% | THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC 3.75% |
| HDFC Bank Ltd 0.81% | AMGEN INC 3.46% |
| Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd 0.75% | ABBOTT LABORATORIES 3.01% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| VWO Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund | XLV State Street(R) Health Care Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Emerging markets | Health care |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.6% | +20.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.9 pts | +2.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 6355 | 63 |
VWO in plain words
VWO is an index equity fund tracking the Emerging markets. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +15.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 6355 positions, with the top ten at 26.8%.
XLV in plain words
XLV is an index equity fund tracking the Health care. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +20.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 63 positions, with the top ten at 60.9%. It sat 5.9% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VWO or XLV?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VWO returned +15.6% and XLV returned +20.4%, so XLV returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VWO or XLV?
- VWO charges 0.06% a year and XLV charges 0.08%, so VWO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VWO and XLV overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of VWO and 100% of XLV by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, VWO against XLV, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-xlv Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources