ETF Versus

IEMG vs VTI

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares

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
VTI Vanguard

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares (VTI) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to the total U.S. stock market across all capitalizations. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.17%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $546.0B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.17% Since: May 24, 2001

Quick Verdict

VTI has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.09%), saving about $119 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, IEMG has significantly outperformed with a 29.6% return vs 17.2%. Income investors may prefer IEMG for its higher yield (2.6% vs 1.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric IEMG VTI
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 2.6% 1.2%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category Emerging Markets US Total Market

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 85 105 125 145 165 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IEMG +7.7%
VTI +52.7%

Performance Comparison

Period IEMG VTI Difference
1 Month -6.83% -4.68% -2.15%
3 Months +1.86% -3.89% +5.75%
6 Months +5.01% -2.04% +7.05%
YTD +1.86% -3.89% +5.75%
1 Year +29.64% +17.21% +12.43%
3 Years +43.63% +57.96% -14.33%
5 Years +7.71% +52.67% -44.96%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IEMG Fees VTI Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $179 $60 $119
$10.000 20 years $771 $258 $512
$10.000 30 years $2.486 $835 $1.650
$50.000 10 years $896 $299 $597
$50.000 30 years $12.428 $4.176 $8.252
$100.000 30 years $24.855 $8.352 $16.503

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IEMG VTI
Annualized Volatility 18.1% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -38.5% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio -0.08 0.32

Dividend Comparison

Metric IEMG VTI
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.85 $3.77
Dividend Yield 2.63% 1.17%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 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%

VTI Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.17%
Apple Inc.AAPL5.89%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.40%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.05%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.16%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.13%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.72%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.37%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VTI 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.

Choose IEMG if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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