What is the expense ratio of EWJ vs EWU?

EWJ has an expense ratio of 0.49%, while EWU has an expense ratio of 0.50%.

EWJ vs EWU

iShares MSCI Japan ETF vs iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

EWJ iShares

iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to japan equity securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.49%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.14%. Launched in 1996, the fund has a 30-year track record.

AUM: $19.7B ER: 0.49% Yield: 4.14% Since: Mar 12, 1996

EWU iShares

iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to uk equity securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.50%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.44%. Launched in 1996, the fund has a 30-year track record.

AUM: $3.5B ER: 0.50% Yield: 3.44% Since: Mar 12, 1996

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.49% vs 0.50%), so fees are not a differentiator here. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (37.0% vs 37.5%), tracking closely. Income investors may prefer EWJ for its higher yield (4.1% vs 3.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric	EWJ	EWU
Expense Ratio	0.49%	0.50%
Dividend Yield	4.1%	3.4%
Fund Family	iShares	iShares
Category	Japan Equity	UK Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

EWJ +27.1%

EWU +48.8%

Performance Comparison

Period	EWJ	EWU	Difference
1 Month	+2.66%	+2.92%	-0.26%
3 Months	+3.19%	+5.70%	-2.51%
6 Months	+11.00%	+13.50%	-2.50%
YTD	+8.21%	+7.20%	+1.01%
1 Year	+37.04%	+37.47%	-0.43%
3 Years	+52.06%	+43.77%	+8.29%
5 Years	+27.11%	+48.84%	-21.73%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	EWJ Fees	EWU Fees	You Save
$10,000	10 years	$960	$979	$19
$10,000	20 years	$4,052	$4,131	$79
$10,000	30 years	$12,832	$13,077	$245
$50,000	10 years	$4,799	$4,895	$96
$50,000	30 years	$64,162	$65,385	$1,223
$100,000	30 years	$128,324	$130,770	$2,447

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	EWJ	EWU
Annualized Volatility	18.4%	16.7%
Max Drawdown	-34.6%	-26.2%
Sharpe Ratio	0.11	0.29

Dividend Comparison

Metric	EWJ	EWU
Annual Dividend (per share)	$3.65	$1.64
Dividend Yield	4.15%	3.44%
Distribution Frequency	Semi-Annual or Annual	Semi-Annual or Annual

Top Holdings

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

EWJ Top Holdings

Name	Weight
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/8306	4.13%
Toyota Motor Corporation!tyo/7203	4.07%
Hitachi, Ltd.!tyo/6501	2.86%
Sony Group Corporation!tyo/6758	2.65%
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/8316	2.62%
Advantest Corporation!tyo/6857	2.45%
Tokyo Electron Limited!tyo/8035	2.41%
Mitsubishi Corporation!tyo/8058	2.23%
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/8411	2.20%
Mitsui & Co., Ltd.!tyo/8031	2.00%

EWU Top Holdings

Name	Weight
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN	9.70%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA	9.42%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL	7.97%
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc!lon/RR	4.41%
British American Tobacco p.l.c.!lon/BATS	3.96%
Unilever PLC!lon/ULVR	3.85%
BP p.l.c.!lon/BP	3.64%
GSK plc!lon/GSK	3.56%
Rio Tinto Group!lon/RIO	3.40%
BAE Systems plc!lon/BA	2.82%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose EWJ if...

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

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