ETF Versus

IEMG vs IYR

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF vs iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IEMG iShares

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.63%. Launched in 2012, the fund has a 14-year track record.

AUM: $132.2B ER: 0.09% Yield: 2.63% Since: Oct 18, 2012
IYR iShares

iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (IYR) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to U.S. real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate companies. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.38%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 2.37%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $3.9B ER: 0.38% Yield: 2.37% Since: Jun 12, 2000

Quick Verdict

IEMG is significantly cheaper at 0.09% vs 0.38% expense ratio, saving you approximately $568 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, IEMG has significantly outperformed with a 29.6% return vs -1.0%.

Key Metrics

Metric IEMG IYR
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.38%
Dividend Yield 2.6% 2.4%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category Emerging Markets US Real Estate

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 77 89 101 113 125 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IEMG +7.7%
IYR +1.0%

Performance Comparison

Period IEMG IYR Difference
1 Month -6.83% -6.56% -0.27%
3 Months +1.86% +0.95% +0.91%
6 Months +5.01% -2.23% +7.24%
YTD +1.86% +0.95% +0.91%
1 Year +29.64% -0.97% +30.61%
3 Years +43.63% +12.64% +30.99%
5 Years +7.71% +0.99% +6.72%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IEMG Fees IYR Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $179 $748 $568
$10.000 20 years $771 $3.173 $2.402
$10.000 30 years $2.486 $10.097 $7.612
$50.000 10 years $896 $3.739 $2.842
$50.000 30 years $12.428 $50.486 $38.058
$100.000 30 years $24.855 $100.972 $76.117

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IEMG IYR
Annualized Volatility 18.1% 18.8%
Max Drawdown -38.5% -36.9%
Sharpe Ratio -0.08 -0.13

Dividend Comparison

Metric IEMG IYR
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.85 $2.25
Dividend Yield 2.63% 2.37%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IEMG Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233011.60%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/0059304.66%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07003.32%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/0006602.75%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99882.22%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.82%
Delta Electronics, Inc.!tpe/23080.76%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.75%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE0.71%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.65%

IYR Top Holdings

NameWeight
Welltower Inc.WELL10.03%
Prologis, Inc.PLD9.11%
Equinix, Inc.EQIX4.68%
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.DLR4.59%
Simon Property Group, Inc.SPG4.50%
Realty Income CorporationO4.44%
American Tower CorporationAMT4.39%
Public StoragePSA3.40%
Ventas, Inc.VTR3.15%
CBRE Group, Inc.CBRE3.10%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IEMG if...

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

Choose IEMG if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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