TLT vs. VGLT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) and Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF (VGLT).

TLT and VGLT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. TLT is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index. It was launched on Jul 22, 2002. VGLT is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Long Treasury Index. It was launched on Nov 19, 2009. Both TLT and VGLT 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

TLT vs. VGLT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) and Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF (VGLT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

TLT vs. VGLT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	0.17%	4.25%	-8.05%	2.77%	-31.23%	-4.60%	18.15%	14.12%	-1.61%	9.18%
VGLT Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF	-0.09%	5.35%	-6.28%	3.27%	-29.34%	-4.98%	17.57%	14.30%	-1.54%	8.64%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, TLT achieves a 0.17% return, which is significantly higher than VGLT's -0.09% return. Over the past 10 years, TLT has underperformed VGLT with an annualized return of -1.38%, while VGLT has yielded a comparatively higher -0.86% annualized return.

TLT

• 1D: -0.10%
• 1M: -4.23%
• YTD: 0.17%
• 6M: -0.87%
• 1Y: -0.49%
• 3Y*: -2.78%
• 5Y*: -5.85%
• 10Y*: -1.38%

VGLT

• 1D: -0.03%
• 1M: -3.99%
• YTD: -0.09%
• 6M: -0.50%
• 1Y: 0.42%
• 3Y*: -1.57%
• 5Y*: -4.88%
• 10Y*: -0.86%

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

TLT vs. VGLT - Expense Ratio Comparison

TLT has a 0.15% expense ratio, which is higher than VGLT's 0.03% 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%.

TLT

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

VGLT

Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF

Return for Risk

TLT vs. VGLT — Risk / Return Rank

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

TLT

TLT Risk / Return Rank: 12
TLT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 11
TLT Sortino Ratio Rank: 10
TLT Omega Ratio Rank: 10
TLT Calmar Ratio Rank: 14
TLT Martin Ratio Rank: 13

VGLT

VGLT Risk / Return Rank: 14
VGLT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 13
VGLT Sortino Ratio Rank: 12
VGLT Omega Ratio Rank: 12
VGLT Calmar Ratio Rank: 16
VGLT Martin Ratio Rank: 15

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.

TLT vs. VGLT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) and Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF (VGLT). 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.

	TLT	VGLT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.04	0.04	-0.08
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.02	0.12	-0.11
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.00	1.02	-0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.05	0.14	-0.09
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.11	0.31	-0.20
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

TLT vs. VGLT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current TLT Sharpe Ratio is -0.04, which is lower than the VGLT Sharpe Ratio of 0.04. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of TLT and VGLT, 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

	TLT	VGLT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.04	0.04	-0.08
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.37	-0.34	-0.03
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.09	-0.06	-0.03
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.26	0.19	+0.07

Correlation

The correlation between TLT and VGLT is 0.98, 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

TLT vs. VGLT - Dividend Comparison

TLT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.49%, which matches VGLT's 4.49% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	4.49%	4.43%	4.30%	3.38%	2.67%	1.50%	1.50%	2.27%	2.63%	2.43%	2.60%	2.61%
VGLT Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF	4.49%	4.44%	4.33%	3.33%	2.84%	1.82%	2.15%	2.46%	2.71%	2.55%	2.69%	3.21%

Drawdowns

TLT vs. VGLT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum TLT drawdown since its inception was -48.35%, roughly equal to the maximum VGLT drawdown of -46.18%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for TLT and VGLT.

Drawdown Indicators

	TLT	VGLT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-48.35%	-46.18%	-2.17%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-9.23%	-8.48%	-0.75%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-43.70%	-40.98%	-2.72%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-48.35%	-46.18%	-2.17%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-40.17%	-36.63%	-3.54%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.62%	-14.83%	+1.21%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.38%	3.85%	+0.53%

Volatility

TLT vs. VGLT - Volatility Comparison

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) has a higher volatility of 3.71% compared to Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF (VGLT) at 3.45%. This indicates that TLT's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VGLT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	TLT	VGLT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.71%	3.45%	+0.26%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	6.61%	6.00%	+0.61%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	11.44%	10.35%	+1.09%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	15.90%	14.60%	+1.30%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	14.93%	13.84%	+1.09%