ACWX vs VXUS: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF

ACWXBNasdaq

Vanguard Total International Stock ETF

VXUSANasdaq

Overlap

77.4%by weight

Expense ratio

VXUS −0.27pt a year

ACWX0.32%VXUS0.05%

Avg volume · 30D

VXUS 1.8×the volume

ACWX2.98MVXUS5.27M

10Y return · a year

VXUS +0.2pt

ACWX+8.9%VXUS+9.1%

ACWX vs VXUS Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+48.3%ACWX+47.5%VXUS

Expense ratio: ACWX 0.32%; VXUS 0.05%, better
Fund size: ACWX $17.7B; VXUS $649B
1Y total return: ACWX +13.6%, better; VXUS +13.2%
Yield (12M): ACWX 2.59%, better; VXUS 2.41%
Holdings: ACWX 1895; VXUS 8905
Avg volume (30D): ACWX 2.98M sh; VXUS 5.27M sh, better
NAV per share: ACWX $73.27; VXUS $82.18
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ACWX, VXUS, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ACWX	VXUS
Cost30% weight	F23	A81Higher
Mission25% weight	A100	A100
Risk15% weight	B55	B55
Tradability15% weight	A73	A73
Holdings10% weight	C46	A74Higher
Durability5% weight	B62	A86Higher

Rank among Total International Market funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ACWX and VXUS are both graded against the same 8 Total International Market funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Total International Market⁠

Category · 8 funds

See all 8 ›

VXUS ranks 1st and ACWX 5th of 8 funds in the Total International Market Category.

Rank 1AVXUSVanguard Total International Stock ETFScore 80
Rank 2AVEUVanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETFScore 79
Rank 4BDFAXDimensional World ex U.S. Core Equity 2 ETFScore 64
Rank 5BACWXiShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETFScore 58
Rank 5BCWIState Street SPDR MSCI ACWI ex-US ETFScore 58

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ACWXBiShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF

VXUSAVanguard Total International Stock ETF

In short

ACWX One ticker for everything outside America: roughly 1,900 large and mid-cap stocks across developed and emerging markets, running since 2008. The convenience is real, and so is the price tag next to its cheaper index cousins.

VXUS Everything outside the US in one ticker: roughly 8,600 stocks across developed and emerging markets, large caps down to small, for 0.05% a year. Vanguard's answer to international investing is to just own the whole thing.

Stated mandate

ACWX The Fund seeks to track an index of large- and mid-capitalization non-U.S. equities. Its index covers developed and emerging markets excluding the United States, and the Fund uses representative sampling while generally investing at least 80% in index components or substantially identical instruments.

VXUS The fund uses a passive indexing strategy to track the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index, which measures the performance of large-, mid-, and small-cap stocks in developed and emerging markets outside the United States.

Why people hold it

ACWX Owns the world minus the US in a single trade: developed and emerging markets, large and mid caps, roughly 1,900 stocks.
Trading since 2008 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund that changes hands actively, which matters when you want in or out without friction.
No style drift. It keeps at least 80% in index components and stays a plain vanilla ex-US index fund, one of the cleaner implementations in its peer group.ishares.com

VXUS 0.05% a year, a small fraction of the median fee among its international peers.
One ticker, roughly 8,600 companies: developed and emerging markets, large caps down to small caps, weighted by market size.vanguard.com
Tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index tightly, one of the cleanest index builds among the international funds we grade.
Trading since 2011, well over $100 billion in assets and one of the busiest names in its category, which usually shows up as tight bid-ask spreads.

Worth knowing

ACWX 0.32% a year sits above the peer median of 0.28%, and well above iShares' own IXUS (0.07%) or VEU (0.04%), which cover similar ground.
Representative sampling means it holds a slice of the index rather than every name, so results can diverge somewhat from the benchmark.ishares.com
Payouts land once or twice a year rather than quarterly, and the basket mixes emerging markets in with developed ones.

VXUS No US stocks by design. This is the other half of a global portfolio, not the whole portfolio.vanguard.com
Foreign currency moves feed straight into dollar returns, and Vanguard flags country and currency risk as especially high in emerging markets.vanguard.com
Market-cap weighting means the largest developed markets and their megacaps steer the fund; the thousands of small names barely move it.vanguard.com

Full ACWX profile⁠

Full VXUS profile⁠

ACWX vs VXUS Holdings

How ACWX and VXUS differ

Overlap by weight

77.4%

Shared holdings make up 94.8% of ACWX and 78.4% of VXUS.

Level by level

Holdings1,664 in both77.4%
Countryby domicile89.4%
Sector11 Sectors96.2%
Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in ACWX and VXUS, widest gap first
Sector	More in ACWXMore in VXUS	ACWX	VXUS
Financials	ACWX +1.7 points	24.9%	23.2%
Industrials	VXUS +1.2 points	13.7%	14.9%
Real Estate	VXUS +1.0 points	1.2%	2.2%
Materials	VXUS +0.9 points	6.6%	7.5%
Technology	VXUS +0.8 points	20.9%	21.7%
Energy	ACWX +0.6 points	5.2%	4.6%
Consumer Staples	ACWX +0.5 points	5.3%	4.8%
Health Care	ACWX +0.4 points	7.3%	6.9%
Utilities	ACWX +0.2 points	3.1%	2.9%
Consumer Discretionary	ACWX +0.2 points	7.5%	7.3%
Communication	ACWX +0.1 points	4.2%	4.1%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in ACWX and VXUS, widest gap first
Country	More in ACWXMore in VXUS	ACWX	VXUS
South Africa	VXUS +3.0 points	0.0%	3.0%
Canada	ACWX +1.7 points	9.6%	7.9%
Switzerland	ACWX +1.6 points	6.4%	4.8%
United Kingdom	ACWX +1.4 points	9.5%	8.1%
France	ACWX +1.3 points	6.1%	4.8%
Germany	ACWX +1.2 points	5.8%	4.6%
Denmark	VXUS +0.9 points	0.0%	0.9%
Israel	VXUS +0.9 points	0.0%	0.9%
Other countries (30)	VXUS +2.5 points	62.5%	65.0%

Outside the US: ACWX 70% developed, 30% emerging. VXUS 65% developed, 35% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

ACWX15.7%
VXUS14.6%

Securities held

ACWX1,860
VXUS8,836

Asset class

ACWX: Equity
VXUS: Equity

Holdings

Only in ACWX196
In both1,664
Only in VXUS7,172

Only in ACWX

196 securities, 4.8% of ACWX by weight

Spotify Technology0.24%
Reliance Industries Ltd0.19%
Basf N0.15%
Nordea Bank0.14%
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries0.14%
Ferrari0.13%
Al Rajhi Bank0.13%
Nu Holdings Class A0.12%
Nebius NV Class A0.09%
Adidas N AG0.09%
Stmicroelectronics0.08%
Sea Ads Representing Ltd Class A0.08%
Teck Resources Subordinate Voting0.08%
Ferrovial NV0.08%
The Saudi National Bank0.08%
Larsen and Toubro Ltd0.07%
Aercap Holdings0.07%
Credicorp Ltd0.07%
Coca Cola Europacific Partners PLC0.06%
Aib Group PLC0.06%
First Abu Dhabi Bank0.06%
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd0.06%
Bombardier Class B0.06%
Emirates Telecommunications Group0.05%
Delta Electronics (Thailand) Non-V0.05%
Bt Group PLC0.05%
Eternal0.05%
State Bank of India0.05%
Southern Copper Corp0.05%
Edp Energias De Portugal0.05%
Kerry Group PLC0.05%
Cgi Inc Class A0.04%
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank0.04%
Check Point Software Technologies0.04%
Henkel & Kgaa Pref AG0.04%
Ntpc Ltd0.04%
Ptt Non-Voting Dr0.03%
Rogers Communications Non-Voting I0.03%
Adani Ports and Special Economic Z0.03%
Vonovia SE0.03%
Ccl Industries Class B0.03%
Tech Mahindra0.03%
Banco Comercial Portugues SA0.03%
Advanced Info Service Non-Voting D0.03%
H World Group Adr0.03%
Jardine Matheson Holdings0.03%
Grasim Industries0.03%
Galp Energia Sgps SA Class B0.03%
Power Grid Corporation of India0.03%
Interglobe Aviation Ltd0.03%

Only in VXUS

7,172 securities, 20.8% of VXUS by weight

SLCMT11421.66%
Reliance Industries Ltd0.19%
Air Liquide SA0.18%
BHP Group Ltd0.17%
L'Oreal SA0.15%
Nordea Bank Abp0.14%
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF0.11%
Basf SE0.11%
Al Rajhi Bank0.11%
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd0.10%
Ferrari NV0.10%
Waste Connections Inc0.09%
STMicroelectronics NV0.08%
Engie SA0.07%
Teck Resources Ltd0.07%
Saudi National Bank/The0.07%
Barrick Mining Corp0.06%
AIB Group PLC0.06%
adidas AG0.06%
Larsen & Toubro Ltd0.06%
Ferrovial NV0.06%
First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC0.05%
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd0.05%
Amrize Ltd0.05%
Emirates Telecommunications Group Co PJSC0.05%
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC0.04%
Bombardier Inc0.04%
Investor AB0.04%
Edp SA0.04%
NTPC Ltd0.04%
Kerry Group PLC0.03%
Eternal Ltd0.03%
State Bank of India0.03%
Ptt Pcl/Foreign0.03%
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC0.03%
UPM-Kymmene Oyj0.03%
BT Group PLC0.03%
James Hardie Industries-Cdi0.03%
Vonovia SE0.03%
Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd0.03%
Henkel AG & Co Kgaa Vor-Pref0.03%
CGI Inc0.03%
Power Grid Corp of India Ltd0.03%
Kasikornbank Pcl-Foreign0.03%
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA0.03%
Banco Comercial Portugues SA0.03%
Taiwan Union Technology Corp0.03%
JSW Steel Ltd0.03%
Grasim Industries Ltd0.03%
Hudbay Minerals Inc0.03%

Weight gaps

The 100 widest of 1,664 Holdings in both funds.

Holding weights in ACWX and VXUS, widest gap first
Holding	More in ACWXMore in VXUS	ACWX	VXUS
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing	ACWX +0.73 points	5.00%	4.27%
Roche Ps Par AG	ACWX +0.30 points	0.96%	0.66%
Lair Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour	ACWX +0.26 points	0.35%	0.09%
Bhp Group Ltd	ACWX +0.27 points	0.58%	0.31%
Loreal SA	ACWX +0.26 points	0.33%	0.07%
ShellSHEL.L	ACWX +0.25 points	0.87%	0.62%
Astrazeneca PLCAZN.L	ACWX +0.25 points	0.79%	0.54%
Novartis AG	ACWX +0.24 points	0.84%	0.60%
Nestle SA	ACWX +0.22 points	0.74%	0.52%
Sap	ACWX +0.21 points	0.67%	0.46%
Royal Bank of Canada	ACWX +0.17 points	0.79%	0.62%
Samsung Electronics Ltd	ACWX +0.17 points	2.20%	2.03%
Commonwealth Bank of Australia	ACWX +0.16 points	0.55%	0.39%
Asml Holding	ACWX +0.15 points	1.70%	1.55%
Toronto Dominion	ACWX +0.14 points	0.57%	0.43%
Totalenergies	ACWX +0.13 points	0.52%	0.39%
Shopify Subordinate Voting Class A	ACWX +0.12 points	0.53%	0.41%
Recruit Holdings Ltd	ACWX +0.13 points	0.45%	0.32%
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd	ACWX +0.11 points	0.33%	0.22%
Allianz	ACWX +0.11 points	0.51%	0.40%
Unilever PLCULVR.L	ACWX +0.11 points	0.39%	0.28%
Bp PLCBP.L	ACWX +0.10 points	0.36%	0.26%
Engie SA	ACWX +0.10 points	0.14%	0.04%
Sony Group	ACWX +0.11 points	0.42%	0.31%
Siemens N AG	ACWX +0.10 points	0.60%	0.50%
British American TobaccoBATS.L	ACWX +0.09 points	0.34%	0.25%
Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Group	ACWX +0.09 points	0.66%	0.57%
Advantest	ACWX +0.09 points	0.45%	0.36%
Toyota Motor	ACWX +0.09 points	0.52%	0.43%
Ubs Group AG	ACWX +0.09 points	0.42%	0.33%
Novo Nordisk Class B	ACWX +0.09 points	0.36%	0.27%
Delta Electronics	VXUS +0.09 points	0.22%	0.31%
Suncor Energy Inc	ACWX +0.09 points	0.27%	0.18%
Tencent Holdings	ACWX +0.09 points	0.85%	0.76%
Barrick Mining	ACWX +0.08 points	0.17%	0.09%
Aia Group	ACWX +0.08 points	0.30%	0.22%
Iberdrola	ACWX +0.08 points	0.43%	0.35%
Zurich Insurance Group AG	ACWX +0.08 points	0.30%	0.22%
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	ACWX +0.07 points	0.43%	0.36%
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce	ACWX +0.07 points	0.30%	0.23%
Sanofi SA	ACWX +0.07 points	0.27%	0.20%
Airbus Group	ACWX +0.07 points	0.35%	0.28%
Bank of Nova Scotia	ACWX +0.07 points	0.32%	0.25%
Tokio Marine Holdings	ACWX +0.07 points	0.28%	0.21%
Enbridge	ACWX +0.07 points	0.30%	0.23%
Relx PLCREL.L	ACWX +0.07 points	0.20%	0.13%
Bank of Montreal	ACWX +0.06 points	0.33%	0.27%
National Australia Bank	ACWX +0.06 points	0.25%	0.19%
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing	VXUS +0.06 points	0.07%	0.13%
Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gese	ACWX +0.06 points	0.22%	0.16%
Hitachi	ACWX +0.07 points	0.41%	0.34%
China Construction Bank Corp H	ACWX +0.06 points	0.31%	0.25%
Anz Group Holdings Ltd	ACWX +0.06 points	0.24%	0.18%
National Grid PLCNG.L	ACWX +0.06 points	0.23%	0.17%
Westpac Banking Corporation	ACWX +0.06 points	0.25%	0.19%
GlaxosmithklineGSK.L	ACWX +0.06 points	0.28%	0.22%
Essilorluxottica SA	ACWX +0.06 points	0.17%	0.11%
Dbs Group Holdings Ltd	ACWX +0.05 points	0.33%	0.28%
Lonza Group AG	ACWX +0.05 points	0.16%	0.11%
Enel	ACWX +0.05 points	0.22%	0.17%
Investor Class B	ACWX +0.05 points	0.21%	0.16%
Deutsche Boerse AG	ACWX +0.06 points	0.19%	0.13%
Canadian Pacific Kansas City	ACWX +0.06 points	0.23%	0.17%
Tc Energy	ACWX +0.05 points	0.19%	0.14%
Bae Systems PLCBA.L	ACWX +0.05 points	0.22%	0.17%
Lvmh	ACWX +0.06 points	0.30%	0.24%
Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA	ACWX +0.06 points	0.31%	0.25%
Csl	ACWX +0.05 points	0.19%	0.14%
Genmab	ACWX +0.05 points	0.10%	0.05%
Givaudan SA	ACWX +0.05 points	0.12%	0.07%
Fast Retailing	ACWX +0.05 points	0.23%	0.18%
Ucb SA	ACWX +0.05 points	0.11%	0.06%
Mitsubishi	ACWX +0.05 points	0.26%	0.21%
Hon Hai Precision Industry	ACWX +0.04 points	0.26%	0.22%
Deutsche Telekom N AG	ACWX +0.05 points	0.28%	0.23%
Macquarie Group Ltd Def	ACWX +0.05 points	0.18%	0.13%
Hsbc Holdings PLCHSBA.L	ACWX +0.05 points	0.81%	0.76%
Bank of China Ltd H	ACWX +0.05 points	0.17%	0.12%
Constellation Software	ACWX +0.05 points	0.14%	0.09%
Manulife Financial	ACWX +0.05 points	0.21%	0.16%
London Stock Exchange Group PLCLSEG.L	ACWX +0.05 points	0.16%	0.11%
Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA	ACWX +0.04 points	0.20%	0.16%
Abb Ltd	ACWX +0.05 points	0.38%	0.33%
Brookfield Class A	ACWX +0.05 points	0.22%	0.17%
Compass Group PLCCPG.L	ACWX +0.05 points	0.16%	0.11%
Itochu	ACWX +0.04 points	0.24%	0.20%
Xiaomi	ACWX +0.05 points	0.17%	0.12%
Softbank Group Corp	VXUS +0.04 points	0.30%	0.34%
Samsung Electronics Non Voting Pre	ACWX +0.04 points	0.30%	0.26%
Eni	ACWX +0.05 points	0.16%	0.11%
Galderma Group N AG	ACWX +0.04 points	0.12%	0.08%
Rheinmetall AG	ACWX +0.04 points	0.15%	0.11%
Icici Bank	ACWX +0.05 points	0.21%	0.16%
Sandoz Group AG	ACWX +0.04 points	0.12%	0.08%
Tesco PLCTSCO.L	ACWX +0.04 points	0.13%	0.09%
National Bank of Canada	ACWX +0.04 points	0.16%	0.12%
Kddi	ACWX +0.04 points	0.16%	0.12%
Mitsui	ACWX +0.04 points	0.21%	0.17%
Nintendo	ACWX +0.04 points	0.16%	0.12%
Industria De Diseno Textil SA	ACWX +0.04 points	0.19%	0.15%

All 1,864 ACWX holdings⁠All 8,602 VXUS holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ACWX vs VXUS Cost

Overpaying ACWX vs VXUS

$5,482

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

ACWX 0.32%
$6,542
VXUS 0.05%
$1,060

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ACWX 0.32%
VXUS 0.05%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	ACWX	VXUS	Overpaying
10	$580	$92	$488
20	$2,250	$360	$1,890
30	$6,542	$1,060	$5,482

Expense ratio

0.32%ACWX
0.05%VXUS, cheaper

VXUS0.05%ACWX0.32%

0.04%0.55%

Middle half of Total International Market funds
Median 0.23%

VXUS 2nd cheapest of 8 funds

ACWX 7th cheapest of 8 funds

ACWX vs VXUS Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): ACWX 2.59%, better; VXUS 2.41%
Payout (12M): ACWX $1.90; VXUS $1.98
Last payment: ACWX $0.85; VXUS $0.16
Ex-dividend: ACWX Jun 15, 2026; VXUS Sep 18, 2026
Paid on: ACWX Jun 18, 2026; VXUS Sep 22, 2026
Frequency: ACWX Twice a year; VXUS Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

ACWXTwice a year · 21 paymentsAll ACWX payments⁠

VXUSQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll VXUS payments⁠

ACWX vs VXUS Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

ACWX
VXUS

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ACWX 11.9%VXUS 11.9%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ACWX 1.27, betterVXUS 1.25
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ACWX −29.1%VXUS −28.9%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ACWX 0.84VXUS 0.92; Market = 1

ACWX and VXUS in the news

All news⁠

Best ETFs
Best international ETFs: one cheap fund, then the Korea choice
Updated Nov 2, 2026VXUS
Head-to-Head
Own the world's stocks with VT, or only the United States with VTI
Oct 23, 2026VXUS
First-Year Review
MFS Blended Research International Equity ETF turns one ahead of its index
Oct 22, 2026ACWX
Head-to-Head
VXUS already holds the stocks in VEA
Oct 19, 2026VXUS
New ETFs
Three new international stock funds, and none is the cheap one
Oct 5, 2026VXUS
Price vs Value
Vanguard showed a 1.94% discount on an energy fund that closed two cents above its value
Oct 4, 2026VXUS

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ACWX vs VXUS

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it