OriginaveACWI vs VUG: 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
SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index- IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
VUGtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
- VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
- QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
- SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI IndexVUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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 VUG, 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 | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +11.66% | +6.18% | ACWI |
| 2025 | +22.41% | +19.40% | ACWI |
| 2024 | +17.45% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +22.27% | +46.83% | VUG |
| 2022 | -18.39% | -33.16% | ACWI |
| 2021 | +18.66% | +27.35% | VUG |
| 2020 | +16.34% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | +26.59% | +37.03% | VUG |
| 2018 | -9.12% | -3.32% | VUG |
| 2017 | +24.33% | +27.72% | VUG |
| 2016 | +8.40% | +6.27% | ACWI |
| 2015 | -2.21% | +3.24% | VUG |
| 2014 | +3.83% | +13.61% | VUG |
| 2013 | +22.38% | +32.48% | VUG |
| 2012 | +16.75% | +17.01% | VUG |
| 2011 | -7.82% | +1.82% | VUG |
| 2010 | +12.78% | +17.22% | VUG |
| 2009 | +32.36% | +36.14% | VUG |
| 2008 | -35.29% | -38.02% | ACWI |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
ACWI vs VUG in plain words
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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 VUG charges 0.03% — VUG 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 VUG 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,708 in ACWI versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: ACWI vs VUG
| Fact | ACWI | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI ACWI Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.32% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Mar 2008 | 26 Jan 2004 |
Frequently asked
Is ACWI or VUG better?
Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, ACWI finished the year ahead 5 times and VUG 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,708 in ACWI versus $49,942 in VUG 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 VUG?
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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 VUG charges 0.03% — VUG 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.
Related comparisons
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