ACWI vs VT: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
ACWItracks the MSCI ACWI Index
VTtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI IndexVT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
What did the last 10 years do to $10,000?
You invest $10,000 at the start of the window and touch nothing — dividends reinvested, the running year not counted.
ACWI vs VT, year by year
Calendar-year total returns (dividends included) side by side, and who took the crown each year. A dash means the fund did not exist yet.
| Year | ACWI | VT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +11.66% | +11.93% | VT |
| 2025 | +22.41% | +22.43% | VT |
| 2024 | +17.45% | +16.49% | ACWI |
| 2023 | +22.27% | +22.02% | ACWI |
| 2022 | -18.39% | -18.00% | VT |
| 2021 | +18.66% | +18.27% | ACWI |
| 2020 | +16.34% | +16.59% | VT |
| 2019 | +26.59% | +26.81% | VT |
| 2018 | -9.12% | -9.76% | ACWI |
| 2017 | +24.33% | +24.50% | VT |
| 2016 | +8.40% | +8.50% | VT |
| 2015 | -2.21% | -1.86% | VT |
| 2014 | +3.83% | +3.68% | ACWI |
| 2013 | +22.38% | +22.94% | VT |
| 2012 | +16.75% | +17.12% | VT |
| 2011 | -7.82% | -7.51% | VT |
| 2010 | +12.78% | +13.08% | VT |
| 2009 | +32.36% | +32.66% | VT |
| 2008 | -35.29% | -33.05% | VT |
ACWI vs VT in plain words
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI Index while VT follows the FTSE Global All Cap Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. ACWI charges 0.32% a year in running costs and VT charges 0.06% — VT is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, ACWI finished the year ahead 5 times and VT 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,708 in ACWI versus $30,414 in VT by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: ACWI vs VT
| Fact | ACWI | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | Vanguard Total World Stock ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI ACWI Index | FTSE Global All Cap Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.32% | 0.06% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Mar 2008 | 24 Jun 2008 |
Frequently asked
Is ACWI or VT better?
Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, ACWI finished the year ahead 5 times and VT 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,708 in ACWI versus $30,414 in VT by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested. Past returns don't promise future ones — but this is what actually happened.
What is the difference between ACWI and VT?
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI Index while VT follows the FTSE Global All Cap Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. ACWI charges 0.32% a year in running costs and VT charges 0.06% — VT is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
What would $10,000 in ACWI have become?
$10,000 invested in ACWI at the start of 2016 grew to $30,708 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 11.9% per year.
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