ETF Versus

VT vs VXUS

Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund ETF Shares vs Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

VT

Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VT) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to global equity securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.80%. Launched in 2008, the fund has a 18-year track record.

AUM: $60.7B ER: 0.06% Yield: 1.80% Since: Jun 24, 2008
VXUS Vanguard

Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VXUS) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to international stocks across both developed and emerging markets. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.93%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $129.4B ER: 0.05% Yield: 2.93% Since: Jan 26, 2011

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.05% vs 0.06%), so fees are not a differentiator here. Over the past year, VXUS has significantly outperformed with a 25.3% return vs 20.1%. Income investors may prefer VXUS for its higher yield (2.9% vs 1.8%).

Key Metrics

Metric VT VXUS
Expense Ratio 0.06% 0.05%
Dividend Yield 1.8% 2.9%
Fund Family N/A Vanguard
Category Global Equity International Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 86 102 118 134 150 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
VT +40.1%
VXUS +21.4%

Performance Comparison

Period VT VXUS Difference
1 Month -4.94% -5.33% +0.39%
3 Months -1.70% +1.92% -3.62%
6 Months +0.44% +4.49% -4.05%
YTD -1.70% +1.92% -3.62%
1 Year +20.08% +25.26% -5.18%
3 Years +50.98% +40.28% +10.70%
5 Years +40.11% +21.42% +18.69%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VT Fees VXUS Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $120 $100 $20
$10.000 20 years $515 $430 $85
$10.000 30 years $1.664 $1.388 $275
$50.000 10 years $598 $499 $99
$50.000 30 years $8.318 $6.941 $1.377
$100.000 30 years $16.637 $13.882 $2.754

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric VT VXUS
Annualized Volatility 16.0% 15.9%
Max Drawdown -28.0% -32.7%
Sharpe Ratio 0.22 0.04

Dividend Comparison

Metric VT VXUS
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.52 $2.29
Dividend Yield 1.80% 2.93%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

1 of top 9 holdings overlap (11% overlap in top holdings)

VT Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA3.78%
Apple Inc.AAPL3.51%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT2.65%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN1.84%
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/23301.38%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO1.34%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG1.34%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META1.29%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.03%

VXUS Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/23303.43%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/0059301.59%
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML1.29%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07000.92%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/0006600.91%
Roche Holding AGROC1.L0.76%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99880.73%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN0.73%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA0.73%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VXUS if...

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

Choose VXUS if...

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

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