ETF Versus

EWG vs EWY

iShares MSCI Germany ETF vs iShares MSCI South Korea ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

EWG iShares

iShares MSCI Germany ETF (EWG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to germany equity securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.49%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.63%. Launched in 1996, the fund has a 30-year track record.

AUM: $1.4B ER: 0.49% Yield: 1.63% Since: Mar 12, 1996
EWY iShares

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to south korea equity securities. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.59%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.47%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $18.3B ER: 0.59% Yield: 1.47% Since: May 9, 2000

Quick Verdict

EWG is significantly cheaper at 0.49% vs 0.59% expense ratio, saving you approximately $191 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, EWY has significantly outperformed with a 166.8% return vs 16.1%.

Key Metrics

Metric EWG EWY
Expense Ratio 0.49% 0.59%
Dividend Yield 1.6% 1.5%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category Germany Equity South Korea Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

50 73 96 119 142 165 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
EWG +20.2%
EWY +52.2%

Performance Comparison

Period EWG EWY Difference
1 Month +1.85% +4.07% -2.22%
3 Months -5.19% +26.93% -32.12%
6 Months -0.54% +65.34% -65.88%
YTD -2.36% +35.26% -37.62%
1 Year +16.08% +166.81% -150.73%
3 Years +45.04% +122.93% -77.89%
5 Years +20.24% +52.18% -31.94%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period EWG Fees EWY Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $960 $1,151 $191
$10,000 20 years $4,052 $4,837 $785
$10,000 30 years $12,832 $15,249 $2,417
$50,000 10 years $4,799 $5,754 $955
$50,000 30 years $64,162 $76,247 $12,085
$100,000 30 years $128,324 $152,494 $24,171

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric EWG EWY
Annualized Volatility 20.6% 27.2%
Max Drawdown -46.5% -49.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.06 0.28

Dividend Comparison

Metric EWG EWY
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.68 $2.04
Dividend Yield 1.63% 1.47%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Semi-Annual or Annual

Top Holdings

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

EWG Top Holdings

NameWeight
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft!etr/SIE10.55%
SAP SE!etr/SAP9.37%
Allianz SE!etr/ALV8.62%
Siemens Energy AG!etr/ENR7.68%
Deutsche Telekom AG!etr/DTE6.94%
Rheinmetall AG!etr/RHM4.35%
Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft in München!etr/MUV24.32%
Infineon Technologies AG!etr/IFX3.35%
Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft!etr/DBK2.99%
Deutsche Börse AG!etr/DB12.86%

EWY Top Holdings

NameWeight
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/00593023.98%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/00066020.49%
Hyundai Motor Company!krx/0053802.59%
KB Financial Group Inc.!krx/1055602.17%
SK Square Co., Ltd.!krx/4023402.15%
Hanwha Aerospace Co., Ltd.!krx/0124501.93%
Doosan Enerbility Co., Ltd.!krx/0340201.75%
Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd.!krx/0555501.61%
Kia Corporation!krx/0002701.44%
Hana Financial Group Inc.!krx/0867901.28%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose EWG if...

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

Choose EWY if...

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

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