ETF Versus

ACWI vs URTH

iShares MSCI ACWI ETF vs iShares MSCI World ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

iShares MSCI ACWI ETF (ACWI) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to global equity securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.32%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.57%. Launched in 2008, the fund has a 18-year track record.

AUM: $27.5B ER: 0.32% Yield: 1.57% Since: Mar 26, 2008

iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to global equity securities. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.24%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.52%. Launched in 2012, the fund has a 14-year track record.

AUM: $6.8B ER: 0.24% Yield: 1.52% Since: Jan 10, 2012

Quick Verdict

URTH has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.24% vs 0.32%), saving about $156 per $10,000 over 10 years. ACWI has edged ahead over the past year (19.6% vs 18.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric ACWI URTH
Expense Ratio 0.32% 0.24%
Dividend Yield 1.6% 1.5%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category Global Equity Global Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 92 109 126 143 160 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
ACWI +43.3%
URTH +49.7%

Performance Comparison

Period ACWI URTH Difference
1 Month -4.69% -4.40% -0.29%
3 Months -1.98% -2.52% +0.54%
6 Months +0.12% -0.66% +0.78%
YTD -1.98% -2.52% +0.54%
1 Year +19.58% +18.37% +1.21%
3 Years +52.33% +53.79% -1.46%
5 Years +43.31% +49.74% -6.43%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period ACWI Fees URTH Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $631 $475 $156
$10.000 20 years $2.686 $2.028 $657
$10.000 30 years $8.571 $6.497 $2.074
$50.000 10 years $3.156 $2.375 $781
$50.000 30 years $42.854 $32.483 $10.370
$100.000 30 years $85.707 $64.967 $20.740

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric ACWI URTH
Annualized Volatility 16.1% 16.2%
Max Drawdown -27.7% -26.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.25 0.30

Dividend Comparison

Metric ACWI URTH
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.20 $2.76
Dividend Yield 1.57% 1.52%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Semi-Annual or Annual

Top Holdings

8 of top 9 holdings overlap (89% overlap in top holdings)

ACWI Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA4.58%
Apple Inc.AAPL4.11%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT2.83%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN2.16%
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/23301.58%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO1.52%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG1.50%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META1.29%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.15%

URTH Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA5.19%
Apple Inc.AAPL4.66%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT3.21%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN2.44%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO1.73%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG1.70%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META1.46%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.30%
JPMorgan Chase & Co.JPM0.98%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose URTH if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Either works if...

you just need broad global equity exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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