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ESIH.L vs. VGK
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility
Dividends

ESIH.L vs. VGK

Last updated Jun 5, 2026

ESIH.L (iShares MSCI Europe Health Care Sector UCITS ETF) and VGK (Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF) are both exchange-traded funds - ESIH.L is a Health & Biotech Equities fund tracking the MSCI World/Health Care NR USD, while VGK is a Europe Equities fund tracking the FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index. Both are passively managed. Over the past 5 years, ESIH.L returned 5.89%/yr vs 9.65%/yr for VGK. At a 0.44 correlation, their price movements are largely independent. ESIH.L charges 0.18%/yr vs 0.06%/yr for VGK.

Performance

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a £10,000 investment in iShares MSCI Europe Health Care Sector UCITS ETF (ESIH.L) and Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

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Different Trading Currencies

ESIH.L is traded in GBP, while VGK is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the VGK values have been converted to GBP using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, ESIH.L achieves a -2.72% return, which is significantly lower than VGK's 7.25% return.

ESIH.L

1D
3.06%
1M
1.79%
YTD
-2.72%
6M
-1.50%
1Y
8.89%
3Y*
2.83%
5Y*
5.89%
10Y*
—

VGK

1D
1.13%
1M
3.26%
YTD
7.25%
6M
9.19%
1Y
19.71%
3Y*
14.09%
5Y*
9.65%
10Y*
10.17%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Yearly Performance Comparison

2026 (YTD)202520242023202220212020
ESIH.L
iShares MSCI Europe Health Care Sector UCITS ETF		-2.72%12.76%-0.46%5.44%1.56%17.09%0.82%
VGK
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF		7.25%26.16%3.65%14.18%-5.99%18.00%2.73%

Correlation

The correlation between ESIH.L and VGK is 0.47, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

Correlation
Correlation (1Y)
Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.47

Correlation (3Y)
Calculated over the trailing 3-year period

0.48

Correlation (5Y)
Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.44

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Nov 24, 2020

0.44

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Sectors Allocation Comparison

Sectors
ESIH.L
VGK

Healthcare

100.0%
12.1%

Basic Materials

-

5.4%

Communication Services

-

3.3%

Consumer Cyclical

-

6.8%

Consumer Defensive

-

8.5%

Energy

-

5.3%

Financial Services

-

23.9%

Industrials

-

19.5%

Real Estate

-

1.5%

Technology

-

8.3%

Utilities

-

4.8%

Healthcare

ESIH.L
100.0%
VGK
12.1%

Basic Materials

ESIH.L

-

VGK
5.4%

Communication Services

ESIH.L

-

VGK
3.3%

Consumer Cyclical

ESIH.L

-

VGK
6.8%

Consumer Defensive

ESIH.L

-

VGK
8.5%

Energy

ESIH.L

-

VGK
5.3%

Financial Services

ESIH.L

-

VGK
23.9%

Industrials

ESIH.L

-

VGK
19.5%

Real Estate

ESIH.L

-

VGK
1.5%

Technology

ESIH.L

-

VGK
8.3%

Utilities

ESIH.L

-

VGK
4.8%

Compare stocks, funds, or ETFs

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iShares MSCI Europe Health Care Sector UCITS ETF

Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF

Often compared with ESIH.L:
ESIH.L vs. INRG.LESIH.L vs. DRDR.LESIH.L vs. XSHC.LESIH.L vs. HLTH.LESIH.L vs. VOOESIH.L vs. IITU.LESIH.L vs. ESIH.DE
Often compared with VGK:
VGK vs. VEAVGK vs. IEURVGK vs. VOOVGK vs. VXUSVGK vs. VEUVGK vs. FEZVGK vs. SPEU

Return for Risk

ESIH.L vs. VGK — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
ESIH.L
ESIH.L Risk / Return Rank: 1717
Overall Rank
ESIH.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 1818
Sharpe Ratio Rank
ESIH.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 1818
Sortino Ratio Rank
ESIH.L Omega Ratio Rank: 1717
Omega Ratio Rank
ESIH.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 1717
Calmar Ratio Rank
ESIH.L Martin Ratio Rank: 1717
Martin Ratio Rank
VGK
VGK Risk / Return Rank: 3434
Overall Rank
VGK Sharpe Ratio Rank: 3434
Sharpe Ratio Rank
VGK Sortino Ratio Rank: 3535
Sortino Ratio Rank
VGK Omega Ratio Rank: 3333
Omega Ratio Rank
VGK Calmar Ratio Rank: 3232
Calmar Ratio Rank
VGK Martin Ratio Rank: 3838
Martin Ratio Rank
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.

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares MSCI Europe Health Care Sector UCITS ETF (ESIH.L) and Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK). 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.

ESIH.LVGKDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility
0.53
1.55

-1.02

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk
0.88
2.20

-1.32

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.10

1.28

-0.18

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

0.64

1.78

-1.14

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

1.54

6.94

-5.40

Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current ESIH.L Sharpe Ratio is 0.53, which is lower than the VGK Sharpe Ratio of 1.55. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of ESIH.L and VGK, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

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Sharpe Ratios by Period

ESIH.LVGKDifference

Sharpe Ratio (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.53

1.55

-1.02

Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.38

0.68

-0.30

Sharpe Ratio (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

—

0.62

—

Sharpe Ratio (All Time)

Calculated using the full available price history

0.39

0.33

+0.06

Drawdowns

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum ESIH.L drawdown since its inception was -24.44%, smaller than the maximum VGK drawdown of -45.00%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for ESIH.L and VGK.

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Drawdown Indicators

ESIH.LVGKDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-24.44%

-45.00%

+20.56%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-13.81%

-11.11%

-2.70%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-24.44%

-13.11%

-11.33%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-24.44%

-17.68%

-6.76%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

—

-30.91%

—

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-10.94%

-0.77%

-10.17%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-6.76%

-7.01%

+0.25%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

5.77%

2.85%

+2.92%

Volatility

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Volatility Comparison

iShares MSCI Europe Health Care Sector UCITS ETF (ESIH.L) has a higher volatility of 5.50% compared to Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK) at 4.59%. This indicates that ESIH.L's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VGK based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

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Volatility by Period

ESIH.LVGKDifference

Volatility (1M)

Calculated over the trailing 1-month period

5.50%

4.59%

+0.91%

Volatility (6M)

Calculated over the trailing 6-month period

12.21%

10.71%

+1.50%

Volatility (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

16.83%

12.78%

+4.05%

Volatility (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized

15.50%

14.32%

+1.18%

Volatility (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized

15.36%

16.53%

-1.17%

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Expense Ratio Comparison

ESIH.L has a 0.18% expense ratio, which is higher than VGK's 0.06% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

Dividends

ESIH.L vs. VGK - Dividend Comparison

ESIH.L has not paid dividends to shareholders, while VGK's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.79%.

PositionTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
ESIH.L
iShares MSCI Europe Health Care Sector UCITS ETF		0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%
VGK
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF		2.79%2.86%3.61%3.15%3.25%3.05%2.11%3.27%3.95%2.70%3.52%3.25%

Frequently Asked Questions

ESIH.L and VGK have a correlation of 0.47, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

On fees, VGK is cheaper at 0.06% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

VGK is cheaper with a 0.06% expense ratio, compared with 0.18% for ESIH.L.

ESIH.L is categorized as Health & Biotech Equities, while VGK is Europe Equities. ESIH.L tracks MSCI World/Health Care NR USD, while VGK tracks FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index. They also come from different issuers: iShares and Vanguard. Their fees differ too: 0.18% for ESIH.L and 0.06% for VGK.

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