Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VXUS vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VXUS returned +13.8% to VYM's +18.0%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $163.2bn for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF and $78.9bn for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.2 points; VXUS is 2.1 times larger.
| Measure | VXUS | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.8% | +18.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.1%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $163.2bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.6% | 26.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 4, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 820 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +498.8% to +158.2%. VYM swung less: 14.7% to 16.5%. VYM fell slightly less at its worst: −32.4% to −34.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VXUS | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +158.2% | +498.8% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.2% | +12.0% | VYM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +62.6% | +270.8% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.5% | 14.7% | VYM | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.8% | 10.3% | VYM | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −34.6% | −32.4% | VYM (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.35 | 0.74 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.49 | 1.05 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.18 | 0.37 | VYM | 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, VXUS 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
VXUS and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VXUS and VYM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VXUS follows FTSE Global All Cap ex US 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 VXUS returned +13.8% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 4.2 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
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, VXUS or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VXUS returned +13.8% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, VXUS or VYM?
- VYM 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, VXUS against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vxus-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VXUS against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vxus-vs-vym
[VXUS against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vxus-vs-vym)
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