ETF Versus

VTI vs VWO

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares vs Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund

Last updated: 2026-04-02

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
VWO Vanguard

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund (VWO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.76%. Launched in 2005, the fund has a 21-year track record.

AUM: $107.3B ER: 0.06% Yield: 2.76% Since: Mar 4, 2005

Quick Verdict

VTI has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.06%), saving about $60 per $10,000 over 10 years. VWO has edged ahead over the past year (19.4% vs 17.2%). Income investors may prefer VWO for its higher yield (2.8% vs 1.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric VTI VWO
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.06%
Dividend Yield 1.2% 2.8%
Fund Family Vanguard Vanguard
Category US Total Market Emerging Markets

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
VTI +52.7%
VWO +3.0%

Performance Comparison

Period VTI VWO Difference
1 Month -4.68% -5.29% +0.61%
3 Months -3.89% -1.31% -2.58%
6 Months -2.04% -1.06% -0.98%
YTD -3.89% -1.31% -2.58%
1 Year +17.21% +19.38% -2.17%
3 Years +57.96% +33.62% +24.34%
5 Years +52.67% +3.00% +49.67%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VTI Fees VWO Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $120 $60
$10.000 20 years $258 $515 $257
$10.000 30 years $835 $1.664 $828
$50.000 10 years $299 $598 $299
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $8.318 $4.142
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $16.637 $8.285

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric VTI VWO
Annualized Volatility 17.4% 17.3%
Max Drawdown -26.2% -35.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.32 -0.14

Dividend Comparison

Metric VTI VWO
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.77 $1.45
Dividend Yield 1.17% 2.68%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 8 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

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%

VWO Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233012.71%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07003.44%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99882.74%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.93%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE0.88%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.78%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/24540.76%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.75%

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 VWO if...

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

Choose VWO if...

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

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