ETF Versus

VWO vs VXUS

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

Last updated: 2026-04-02

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
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 19.4%.

Key Metrics

Metric VWO VXUS
Expense Ratio 0.06% 0.05%
Dividend Yield 2.8% 2.9%
Fund Family Vanguard Vanguard
Category Emerging Markets International Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 79 93 107 121 135 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
VWO +3.0%
VXUS +21.4%

Performance Comparison

Period VWO VXUS Difference
1 Month -5.29% -5.33% +0.04%
3 Months -1.31% +1.92% -3.23%
6 Months -1.06% +4.49% -5.55%
YTD -1.31% +1.92% -3.23%
1 Year +19.38% +25.26% -5.88%
3 Years +33.62% +40.28% -6.66%
5 Years +3.00% +21.42% -18.42%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VWO 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 VWO VXUS
Annualized Volatility 17.3% 15.9%
Max Drawdown -35.9% -32.7%
Sharpe Ratio -0.14 0.04

Dividend Comparison

Metric VWO VXUS
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.45 $2.29
Dividend Yield 2.68% 2.93%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

3 of top 8 holdings overlap (38% overlap in top holdings)

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%

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.

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