EFA vs. IMEU.L

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) and iShares MSCI Europe UCITS Dist (IMEU.L).

EFA and IMEU.L are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. EFA is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the MSCI EAFE Index. It was launched on Aug 14, 2001. IMEU.L is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the MSCI Europe NR EUR. It was launched on Jul 6, 2007. Both EFA and IMEU.L are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

EFA vs. IMEU.L - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) and iShares MSCI Europe UCITS Dist (IMEU.L). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

EFA vs. IMEU.L - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF	2.69%	31.55%	3.49%	18.36%	-14.39%	11.45%	7.60%	22.04%	-13.82%	25.07%
IMEU.L iShares MSCI Europe UCITS Dist	0.24%	35.41%	2.15%	18.88%	-13.73%	16.02%	5.48%	24.49%	-14.43%	25.71%

Different Trading Currencies

EFA is traded in USD, while IMEU.L is traded in GBp. To make them comparable, the IMEU.L values have been converted to USD using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, EFA achieves a 2.69% return, which is significantly higher than IMEU.L's 0.24% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with EFA having a 8.93% annualized return and IMEU.L not far ahead at 9.20%.

EFA

• 1D: 1.52%
• 1M: -4.54%
• YTD: 2.69%
• 6M: 6.65%
• 1Y: 24.78%
• 3Y*: 14.94%
• 5Y*: 8.43%
• 10Y*: 8.93%

IMEU.L

• 1D: 2.93%
• 1M: -4.89%
• YTD: 0.24%
• 6M: 5.18%
• 1Y: 21.57%
• 3Y*: 14.69%
• 5Y*: 9.56%
• 10Y*: 9.20%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

EFA vs. IMEU.L - Expense Ratio Comparison

EFA has a 0.32% expense ratio, which is lower than IMEU.L's 1.00% expense ratio.

IMEU.L

iShares MSCI Europe UCITS Dist

EFA

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

Return for Risk

EFA vs. IMEU.L — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

EFA

EFA Risk / Return Rank: 76
EFA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 75
EFA Sortino Ratio Rank: 76
EFA Omega Ratio Rank: 74
EFA Calmar Ratio Rank: 78
EFA Martin Ratio Rank: 75

IMEU.L

IMEU.L Risk / Return Rank: 68
IMEU.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 72
IMEU.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 68
IMEU.L Omega Ratio Rank: 70
IMEU.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 66
IMEU.L Martin Ratio Rank: 63

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

EFA vs. IMEU.L - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) and iShares MSCI Europe UCITS Dist (IMEU.L). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	EFA	IMEU.L	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.40	1.31	+0.09
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.99	1.75	+0.24
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.29	1.26	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.19	1.82	+0.37
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.30	6.74	+1.56
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

EFA vs. IMEU.L - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current EFA Sharpe Ratio is 1.40, which is comparable to the IMEU.L Sharpe Ratio of 1.31. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of EFA and IMEU.L, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	EFA	IMEU.L	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.40	1.31	+0.09
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.52	0.56	-0.04
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.52	0.52	0.00
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.30	0.20	+0.11

Correlation

The correlation between EFA and IMEU.L is 0.72, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

EFA vs. IMEU.L - Dividend Comparison

EFA's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.29%, more than IMEU.L's 2.48% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF	3.29%	3.38%	3.24%	2.98%	2.69%	3.33%	2.13%	3.10%	3.39%	2.57%	3.07%	2.76%
IMEU.L iShares MSCI Europe UCITS Dist	2.48%	2.49%	2.95%	2.86%	2.80%	2.30%	2.04%	3.19%	3.19%	2.60%	2.76%	2.58%

Drawdowns

EFA vs. IMEU.L - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum EFA drawdown since its inception was -61.04%, roughly equal to the maximum IMEU.L drawdown of -62.48%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for EFA and IMEU.L.

Drawdown Indicators

	EFA	IMEU.L	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-61.04%	-44.39%	-16.65%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.42%	-10.59%	-0.83%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-29.53%	-15.85%	-13.68%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-34.19%	-28.71%	-5.48%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.67%	-6.25%	-0.42%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-12.00%	-6.58%	-5.42%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.01%	2.75%	+0.26%

Volatility

EFA vs. IMEU.L - Volatility Comparison

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) has a higher volatility of 7.51% compared to iShares MSCI Europe UCITS Dist (IMEU.L) at 6.33%. This indicates that EFA's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than IMEU.L based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	EFA	IMEU.L	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.51%	6.33%	+1.18%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	11.21%	10.48%	+0.73%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.74%	16.42%	+1.32%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	16.32%	17.16%	-0.84%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	17.20%	17.53%	-0.33%