VT vs. URTH

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) and iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH).

VT and URTH are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. VT is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the FTSE Global All Cap Index. It was launched on Jun 24, 2008. URTH is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the MSCI World Index. It was launched on Jan 10, 2012. Both VT and URTH 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

VT vs. URTH - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) and iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VT vs. URTH - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
VT Vanguard Total World Stock ETF	-1.71%	22.43%	16.49%	22.02%	-18.00%	18.27%	16.59%	26.81%	-9.76%	24.50%
URTH iShares MSCI World ETF	-3.10%	21.36%	18.66%	23.95%	-17.97%	22.27%	15.78%	28.15%	-8.56%	22.95%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VT achieves a -1.71% return, which is significantly higher than URTH's -3.10% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with VT having a 11.53% annualized return and URTH not far ahead at 12.06%.

VT

• 1D: 3.08%
• 1M: -6.22%
• YTD: -1.71%
• 6M: 1.42%
• 1Y: 21.53%
• 3Y*: 16.86%
• 5Y*: 9.22%
• 10Y*: 11.53%

URTH

• 1D: 2.90%
• 1M: -5.67%
• YTD: -3.10%
• 6M: -0.05%
• 1Y: 19.39%
• 3Y*: 17.10%
• 5Y*: 10.24%
• 10Y*: 12.06%

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

VT vs. URTH - Expense Ratio Comparison

VT has a 0.06% expense ratio, which is lower than URTH's 0.24% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

URTH

iShares MSCI World ETF

VT

Vanguard Total World Stock ETF

Return for Risk

VT vs. URTH — Risk / Return Rank

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

VT

VT Risk / Return Rank: 77
VT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 74
VT Sortino Ratio Rank: 76
VT Omega Ratio Rank: 77
VT Calmar Ratio Rank: 75
VT Martin Ratio Rank: 82

URTH

URTH Risk / Return Rank: 72
URTH Sharpe Ratio Rank: 67
URTH Sortino Ratio Rank: 70
URTH Omega Ratio Rank: 71
URTH Calmar Ratio Rank: 69
URTH Martin Ratio Rank: 79

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.

VT vs. URTH - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) and iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH). 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.

	VT	URTH	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.25	1.12	+0.13
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.84	1.68	+0.16
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.27	1.25	+0.02
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.83	1.66	+0.17
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.51	8.03	+0.47
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VT vs. URTH - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VT Sharpe Ratio is 1.25, which is comparable to the URTH Sharpe Ratio of 1.12. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VT and URTH, 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

	VT	URTH	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.25	1.12	+0.13
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.58	0.64	-0.06
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.67	0.70	-0.03
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.40	0.68	-0.28

Correlation

The correlation between VT and URTH is 0.87, 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

VT vs. URTH - Dividend Comparison

VT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.82%, more than URTH's 1.53% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VT Vanguard Total World Stock ETF	1.82%	1.82%	1.95%	2.08%	2.20%	1.82%	1.66%	2.32%	2.53%	2.11%	2.39%	2.45%
URTH iShares MSCI World ETF	1.53%	1.48%	1.47%	1.70%	1.68%	1.50%	1.52%	2.16%	2.30%	1.88%	2.15%	2.35%

Drawdowns

VT vs. URTH - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VT drawdown since its inception was -50.27%, which is greater than URTH's maximum drawdown of -34.01%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VT and URTH.

Drawdown Indicators

	VT	URTH	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-50.27%	-34.01%	-16.26%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.84%	-11.85%	+0.01%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-26.38%	-26.05%	-0.33%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-34.24%	-34.01%	-0.23%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.89%	-6.42%	-0.47%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-7.08%	-4.42%	-2.66%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.55%	2.44%	+0.11%

Volatility

VT vs. URTH - Volatility Comparison

Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) has a higher volatility of 6.33% compared to iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH) at 5.72%. This indicates that VT's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than URTH based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VT	URTH	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.33%	5.72%	+0.61%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.95%	9.48%	+0.47%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.24%	17.34%	-0.10%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	15.98%	16.16%	-0.18%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	17.20%	17.28%	-0.08%