VEA vs VXUS: Which ETF Is Better in 2026?
A metric-by-metric comparison of Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets Index Fund ETF Shares (VEA) and Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VXUS) — both International Developed / Global Multi-Region funds — using ETFValuer's daily-updated rankings.
Educational content — not financial advice. Data as of July 29, 2026. ~5 minute read.
The Verdict
VEA (International Developed) and VXUS (Global Multi-Region) sit in different corners of the market, so this is less a head-to-head than a question of what role each would play. They can be complements rather than alternatives — the metrics below show how differently the two have actually behaved.
On ETFValuer's overall model — which blends return, risk-adjusted performance, cost, drawdown, size and volatility — VEA scores higher: 80.4 (Grade B+) versus 77.3 for VXUS. That doesn't make VXUS a bad fund; it means VEA currently edges it out on this specific mix of factors. Read the metric-by-metric breakdown below before deciding which matters more for your own portfolio.
Head-to-Head: Every Metric
| VEA | VXUS | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | International Developed | Global Multi-Region |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.05% |
| Fund size (AUM) | $316.3B | $650.3B |
| Dividend yield | 2.54% | 2.56% |
| 1-year return | +23.43% | +21.55% |
| 3-year return | +65.46% | +61.69% |
| Volatility | 17.03% | 16.66% |
| Max drawdown | -13.45% | -13.58% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.08 | 0.99 |
| ETFValuer score | 80.4 | 77.3 |
| Grade | B+ | B+ |
| Overall rank | #16 | #29 |
Bold marks the better value in each row. "Better" is directional only (e.g. lower cost, higher return) — it isn't a recommendation by itself. See the full methodology.
Cost
On cost, the two are essentially tied — VEA charges 0.03% a year versus VXUS's 0.05%. A difference this small (about $2.00 a year on a $10,000 position) isn't a reason to choose one fund over the other.
What VXUS's Fees Cost You
VXUS charges an expense ratio of 0.05% a year, deducted automatically from the fund's value. Small percentages compound into real money — adjust the figures below to see the impact on your own numbers.
Assumes a constant gross return and no additional contributions — a simplification, but it isolates exactly what the expense ratio costs. Try the full fee calculator to model contributions and compare any two funds.
Performance & Risk
Over the trailing 3 years, VEA returned +65.46% versus +61.69% for VXUS — a gap of about 3.8 percentage points. On risk, VEA has held up better historically, with a shallower max drawdown (-13.45% vs. -13.58%). VEA currently has the better risk-adjusted return (Sharpe ratio of 1.08 vs. 0.99), meaning it delivered more return per unit of volatility taken on.
How Closely Do They Track Each Other?
Over the last 3.0 years of daily returns (750 shared trading days), VEA and VXUS show a extremely high correlation of 0.986 — very close substitutes. Holding both would add very little diversification: when one falls, the other almost always falls with it. Treat these as alternatives to each other, not as complements in the same portfolio.
| Measure | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Daily return correlation | 0.986 | Extremely high — very close substitutes |
| R-squared | 97.3% | 97.3% of VEA's daily moves are explained by VXUS's |
| Tracking error (annualised) | 2.58% | Typical yearly spread between the two funds' returns |
| Annualised return over 3.0y | VEA +17.21% · VXUS +16.26% | VEA ahead by 0.95 points a year |
Correlation alone understates how far these can drift. Across every rolling 12-month window in the period, VEA finished as much as +3.8 points ahead of VXUS at the best extreme and -2.8 points at the worst — a 6.6-point spread between the best and worst year of relative performance. Two funds can correlate tightly day to day and still deliver very different outcomes over any single year you happen to hold them.
Calculated from daily total returns over the trailing 3-year window, recomputed every day this site refreshes. Correlation of 1.00 means the two funds moved in lockstep; 0.00 means their daily moves were unrelated.
Holdings Overlap
VEA and VXUS hold 6 of the same companies among their top 10 positions. Those shared names make up 7.7% of VEA and 8.0% of VXUS. That's meaningful duplication. The funds aren't interchangeable, but a good share of your money would be riding on the same companies twice.
| Shared Holding | VEA Weight | VXUS Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Cmt Funds-Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund | 1.07% | 2.48% |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 1.88% | 1.65% |
| ASML Holding NV | 1.77% | 1.30% |
| SK hynix Inc | 1.05% | 1.12% |
| HSBC Holdings PLC | 0.97% | 0.74% |
| Roche Holding AG | 0.96% | 0.67% |
Compares the top 10 reported holdings from each fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing, so it understates total overlap — funds tracking similar indexes overlap far more deeply than the top 10 alone can show. Search any company across all tracked funds with the Stock Overlap tool.
Which One Should You Pick?
Lean VEA if…
- You want the lower running cost — 0.03% vs 0.05%, about $2 a year less on a $10,000 position
- You care about return per unit of risk — its Sharpe ratio of 1.08 beats 0.99
- You weight recent results heavily — it returned 65.5% over 3 years against 61.7%
Lean VXUS if…
- You have no strong preference — VXUS is a perfectly reasonable default here
These two are not really substitutes, so "both, in some proportion" is often the right answer rather than picking one. Model the blend with the Portfolio Blender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is VEA or VXUS better?
On ETFValuer's overall model — which blends return, risk-adjusted performance, cost, drawdown, size and volatility — VEA scores higher: 80.4 (Grade B+) versus 77.3 for VXUS. That doesn't make VXUS a bad fund; it means VEA currently edges it out on this specific mix of factors. Read the metric-by-metric breakdown below before deciding which matters more for your own portfolio.
Which has the lower expense ratio, VEA or VXUS?
VEA currently has the lower expense ratio (0.03% vs. 0.05%).
Can I hold both VEA and VXUS?
You can, but there's little point. VEA and VXUS have a daily return correlation of 0.99 over the past 3.0 years, meaning they move almost in lockstep. Holding both roughly doubles a single bet rather than spreading it — pick whichever wins on cost and liquidity and put the money in one place.
Go deeper on either fund
Full daily-updated metrics, holdings context, and category peers.