Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VXUS vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VXUS returned +13.8% to XLV's +25.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $163.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF, and $47.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VXUS costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.8 points; VXUS is 3.8 times larger.
| Measure | VXUS | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.8% | +25.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.1%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $163.2bn | $43.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.6% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 4, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 820 weekly returnsXLV returned more: +623.2% to +158.2%. XLV swung slightly less: 15.9% to 16.5%. XLV fell less at its worst: −24.3% to −34.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VXUS | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +158.2% | +623.2% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.2% | +13.4% | XLV | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +62.6% | +454.5% | XLV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.5% | 15.9% | XLV (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.8% | 10.9% | XLV (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −34.6% | −24.3% | XLV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.35 | 0.77 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.49 | 1.12 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.18 | 0.55 | XLV | 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 XLV hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VXUS and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VXUS and XLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VXUS follows FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VXUS returned +13.8% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 11.8 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.
XLV
XLV tracks an index of Health care. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 62 positions, with the top ten at 60.6%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VXUS or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VXUS returned +13.8% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VXUS or XLV?
- VXUS is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 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 XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vxus-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VXUS against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vxus-vs-xlv
[VXUS against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vxus-vs-xlv)
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