What is the expense ratio of IWM vs VXUS?

IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19%, while VXUS has an expense ratio of 0.05%.

IWM vs VXUS

iShares Russell 2000 ETF vs Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-08

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.19%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.00%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $71.9B ER: 0.19% Yield: 1.00% Since: May 22, 2000

VXUS

Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VXUS) is an exchange-traded fund 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 2.93%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $134.2B ER: 0.05% Yield: 2.93% Since: Jan 26, 2011

Quick Verdict

VXUS is significantly cheaper at 0.05% vs 0.19% expense ratio, saving you approximately $277 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. IWM has edged ahead over the past year (44.4% vs 40.4%). Income investors may prefer VXUS for its higher yield (2.9% vs 1.0%).

Key Metrics

Metric	IWM	VXUS
Expense Ratio	0.19%	0.05%
Dividend Yield	1.0%	2.9%
Fund Family	N/A	N/A
Category	US Small Cap	International Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

IWM +13.4%

VXUS +21.6%

Performance Comparison

Period	IWM	VXUS	Difference
1 Month	-0.50%	-1.24%	+0.74%
3 Months	-2.29%	+0.89%	-3.18%
6 Months	+6.13%	+8.04%	-1.91%
YTD	+1.44%	+1.87%	-0.43%
1 Year	+44.35%	+40.39%	+3.96%
3 Years	+43.59%	+40.69%	+2.90%
5 Years	+13.37%	+21.60%	-8.23%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	IWM Fees	VXUS Fees	You Save
$10,000	10 years	$377	$100	$277
$10,000	20 years	$1,613	$430	$1,183
$10,000	30 years	$5,178	$1,388	$3,789
$50,000	10 years	$1,884	$499	$1,385
$50,000	30 years	$25,888	$6,941	$18,947
$100,000	30 years	$51,776	$13,882	$37,893

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	IWM	VXUS
Annualized Volatility	22.6%	15.9%
Max Drawdown	-33.1%	-32.7%
Sharpe Ratio	0.03	0.04

Dividend Comparison

Metric	IWM	VXUS
Annual Dividend (per share)	$2.54	$2.29
Dividend Yield	1.01%	2.93%
Distribution Frequency	Quarterly	Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IWM Top Holdings

Name	Weight
Bloom Energy CorporationBE	0.99%
FabrinetFN	0.67%
COEUR MINING INCCDE.NE	0.63%
EchoStar CorporationSATS	0.57%
Credo Technology Group Holding LtdCRDO	0.55%
Nextpower Inc.NXT	0.53%
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.KTOS	0.45%
Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.AEIS	0.42%
Hecla Mining CompanyHL	0.41%
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc.STRL	0.39%

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!hkg/9988	0.73%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN	0.73%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA	0.73%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VXUS if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose IWM if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose VXUS if...

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

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