ETF Versus

EWG vs EWY

iShares MSCI Germany ETF vs iShares MSCI South Korea ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

EWG

iShares MSCI Germany ETF (EWG) is an exchange-traded fund 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 1.69%. Launched in 1996, the fund has a 30-year track record.

AUM: $1.4B ER: 0.49% Yield: 1.69% Since: Mar 12, 1996
EWY

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) is an exchange-traded fund 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 1.61%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $15.6B ER: 0.59% Yield: 1.61% 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 130.1% return vs 7.8%.

Key Metrics

Metric EWG EWY
Expense Ratio 0.49% 0.59%
Dividend Yield 1.7% 1.6%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category Germany Equity South Korea Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

50 73 96 119 142 165 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
EWG +15.9%
EWY +37.4%

Performance Comparison

Period EWG EWY Difference
1 Month -6.32% -14.45% +8.13%
3 Months -5.55% +23.48% -29.03%
6 Months -5.26% +50.53% -55.79%
YTD -5.55% +23.48% -29.03%
1 Year +7.80% +130.12% -122.32%
3 Years +40.90% +107.39% -66.49%
5 Years +15.88% +37.40% -21.52%

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 20.5% 26.8%
Max Drawdown -46.5% -49.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.03 0.20

Dividend Comparison

Metric EWG EWY
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.68 $2.04
Dividend Yield 1.69% 1.61%
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/SIE10.07%
SAP SE!etr/SAP9.63%
Allianz SE!etr/ALV8.63%
Deutsche Telekom AG!etr/DTE7.54%
Siemens Energy AG!etr/ENR7.24%
Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft in München!etr/MUV24.42%
Rheinmetall AG!etr/RHM4.11%
Infineon Technologies AG!etr/IFX3.16%
BASF SE!etr/BAS3.01%
Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft!etr/DBK2.92%

EWY Top Holdings

NameWeight
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/00593022.19%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/00066019.82%
Hyundai Motor Company!krx/0053802.73%
KB Financial Group Inc.!krx/1055602.30%
SK Square Co., Ltd.!krx/4023402.19%
Hanwha Aerospace Co., Ltd.!krx/0124501.88%
Doosan Enerbility Co., Ltd.!krx/0340201.83%
Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd.!krx/0555501.69%
Kia Corporation!krx/0002701.53%
Celltrion, Inc.!krx/0682701.37%

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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