URTH 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.
URTHtracks the MSCI World Index
VUGtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
URTH tracks the MSCI World 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.
URTH 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 | URTH | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +9.81% | +6.18% | URTH |
| 2025 | +21.36% | +19.40% | URTH |
| 2024 | +18.66% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +23.95% | +46.83% | VUG |
| 2022 | -17.97% | -33.16% | URTH |
| 2021 | +22.27% | +27.35% | VUG |
| 2020 | +15.78% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | +28.15% | +37.03% | VUG |
| 2018 | -8.56% | -3.32% | VUG |
| 2017 | +22.95% | +27.72% | VUG |
| 2016 | +7.31% | +6.27% | URTH |
| 2015 | -0.64% | +3.24% | VUG |
| 2014 | +4.37% | +13.61% | VUG |
| 2013 | +26.66% | +32.48% | VUG |
| 2012 | +14.71% | +17.01% | VUG |
| 2011 | — | +1.82% | — |
| 2010 | — | +17.22% | — |
| 2009 | — | +36.14% | — |
| 2008 | — | -38.02% | — |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
URTH vs VUG in plain words
URTH tracks the MSCI World 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. URTH charges 0.24% 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 15 calendar years both funds were trading, URTH finished the year ahead 4 times and VUG 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $32,044 in URTH versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: URTH vs VUG
| Fact | URTH | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares MSCI World ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI World Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.24% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Jan 2012 | 26 Jan 2004 |
Frequently asked
Is URTH or VUG better?
Across the 15 calendar years both funds were trading, URTH finished the year ahead 4 times and VUG 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $32,044 in URTH 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 URTH and VUG?
URTH tracks the MSCI World 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. URTH charges 0.24% 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 URTH have become?
$10,000 invested in URTH at the start of 2016 grew to $32,044 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 12.4% per year.
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