What is the expense ratio of VWO vs VXUS?

VWO has an expense ratio of 0.06%, while VXUS has an expense ratio of 0.05%.

VWO vs VXUS

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

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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 2.64%. Launched in 2005, the fund has a 21-year track record.

AUM: $114.9B ER: 0.06% Yield: 2.64% 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 2.82%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $140.8B ER: 0.05% Yield: 2.82% 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. VXUS has edged ahead over the past year (39.1% vs 35.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric	VWO	VXUS
Expense Ratio	0.06%	0.05%
Dividend Yield	2.6%	2.8%
Fund Family	Vanguard	Vanguard
Category	Emerging Markets	International Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

VWO +9.5%

VXUS +27.5%

Performance Comparison

Period	VWO	VXUS	Difference
1 Month	+2.17%	+2.80%	-0.63%
3 Months	+0.84%	+3.44%	-2.60%
6 Months	+5.12%	+10.89%	-5.77%
YTD	+3.34%	+6.15%	-2.81%
1 Year	+35.35%	+39.06%	-3.71%
3 Years	+39.47%	+45.95%	-6.48%
5 Years	+9.46%	+27.47%	-18.01%

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	17.4%	16.0%
Max Drawdown	-35.9%	-32.7%
Sharpe Ratio	-0.07	0.10

Dividend Comparison

Metric	VWO	VXUS
Annual Dividend (per share)	$1.45	$2.29
Dividend Yield	2.56%	2.82%
Distribution Frequency	Quarterly	Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

VWO Top Holdings

Name	Weight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/2330	12.71%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/0700	3.44%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!otc/BABAF	2.74%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK	0.93%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE	0.88%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/2317	0.78%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/2454	0.76%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/0939	0.75%

VXUS Top Holdings

Name	Weight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/2330	3.43%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/005930	1.59%
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML	1.29%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/0700	0.92%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/000660	0.91%
Roche Holding AGROC1.L	0.76%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!otc/BABAF	0.73%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN	0.73%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA	0.73%

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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