VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L

Last updated Apr 10, 2026

VWRL.L (Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF Distributing) and VUAA.L (Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD Accumulation) are both exchange-traded funds — VWRL.L is a Global Equities fund tracking the MSCI ACWI NR USD, while VUAA.L is a S&P 500 fund tracking the S&P 500 Net Total Return. Both are passively managed. Over the past 5 years, VWRL.L returned 10.47%/yr vs 12.41%/yr for VUAA.L. Their correlation of 0.90 suggests significant overlap in exposure. VWRL.L charges 0.22%/yr vs 0.07%/yr for VUAA.L.

Performance

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a £10,000 investment in Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF Distributing (VWRL.L) and Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD Accumulation (VUAA.L). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Different Trading Currencies

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

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VWRL.L achieves a 1.85% return, which is significantly higher than VUAA.L's -0.75% return.

VWRL.L

• 1D: 0.23%
• 1M: 0.41%
• YTD: 1.85%
• 6M: 3.78%
• 1Y: 34.53%
• 3Y*: 15.70%
• 5Y*: 10.47%
• 10Y*: 12.61%

VUAA.L

• 1D: 0.30%
• 1M: -0.39%
• YTD: -0.75%
• 6M: 0.64%
• 1Y: 31.33%
• 3Y*: 16.82%
• 5Y*: 12.41%
• 10Y*: —

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

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
VWRL.L Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF Distributing	1.85%	13.99%	19.59%	15.61%	-8.44%	20.04%	12.13%	8.20%
VUAA.L Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD Accumulation	-0.75%	9.01%	27.46%	20.35%	-8.96%	30.57%	14.21%	8.78%

Correlation

The correlation between VWRL.L and VUAA.L is 0.89, indicating a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Combining them offers limited diversification — they tend to fall together during downturns.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.89
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.89
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.89
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since May 17, 2019	0.90

The correlation between VWRL.L and VUAA.L has been stable across timeframes, ranging from 0.89 to 0.90 — a consistent structural relationship.

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L - Expense Ratio Comparison

VWRL.L has a 0.22% expense ratio, which is higher than VUAA.L's 0.07% 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%.

Return for Risk

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L — Risk / Return Rank

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

VWRL.L

VWRL.L Risk / Return Rank: 80
VWRL.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 84
VWRL.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
VWRL.L Omega Ratio Rank: 84
VWRL.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 70
VWRL.L Martin Ratio Rank: 76

VUAA.L

VUAA.L Risk / Return Rank: 77
VUAA.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 79
VUAA.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
VUAA.L Omega Ratio Rank: 78
VUAA.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 66
VUAA.L Martin Ratio Rank: 75

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.

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF Distributing (VWRL.L) and Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD Accumulation (VUAA.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.

	VWRL.L	VUAA.L	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.95	2.25	+0.70
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	4.38	3.32	+1.06
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.59	1.43	+0.16
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	4.27	3.63	+0.64
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	17.16	12.05	+5.11
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VWRL.L Sharpe Ratio is 2.95, which is higher than the VUAA.L Sharpe Ratio of 2.25. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VWRL.L and VUAA.L, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	VWRL.L	VUAA.L	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.95	2.25	+0.70
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.81	0.81	0.00
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.88	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.90	0.80	+0.10

Drawdowns

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VWRL.L drawdown since its inception was -24.98%, roughly equal to the maximum VUAA.L drawdown of -26.15%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VWRL.L and VUAA.L.

Drawdown Indicators

	VWRL.L	VUAA.L	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-24.98%	-34.05%	+9.07%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-7.08%	-8.18%	+1.10%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-17.48%	-24.36%	+6.88%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-24.98%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.94%	-2.46%	+0.52%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.33%	-5.20%	+1.87%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.76%	1.92%	-0.16%

Volatility

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L - Volatility Comparison

Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF Distributing (VWRL.L) and Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD Accumulation (VUAA.L) have volatilities of 4.72% and 4.93%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VWRL.L	VUAA.L	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.72%	4.93%	-0.21%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	8.50%	9.34%	-0.84%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	12.21%	14.52%	-2.31%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	12.91%	15.39%	-2.48%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	14.27%	17.23%	-2.96%

Dividends

VWRL.L vs. VUAA.L - Dividend Comparison

VWRL.L's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.36%, while VUAA.L has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VWRL.L Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF Distributing	1.36%	1.39%	1.49%	1.72%	2.03%	1.45%	1.58%	1.95%	2.22%	1.90%	1.85%	2.00%
VUAA.L Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD Accumulation	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%