VGT vs ACWI: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
VGTtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
ACWItracks the MSCI ACWI Index
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 IndexACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI 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.
VGT vs ACWI, 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 | VGT | ACWI | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +27.13% | +11.66% | VGT |
| 2025 | +21.77% | +22.41% | ACWI |
| 2024 | +29.30% | +17.45% | VGT |
| 2023 | +52.66% | +22.27% | VGT |
| 2022 | -29.70% | -18.39% | ACWI |
| 2021 | +30.45% | +18.66% | VGT |
| 2020 | +46.04% | +16.34% | VGT |
| 2019 | +48.62% | +26.59% | VGT |
| 2018 | +2.46% | -9.12% | VGT |
| 2017 | +37.08% | +24.33% | VGT |
| 2016 | +13.77% | +8.40% | VGT |
| 2015 | +5.05% | -2.21% | VGT |
| 2014 | +16.69% | +3.83% | VGT |
| 2013 | +30.97% | +22.38% | VGT |
| 2012 | +13.96% | +16.75% | ACWI |
| 2011 | +0.54% | -7.82% | VGT |
| 2010 | +12.78% | +12.78% | Tie |
| 2009 | +61.89% | +32.36% | VGT |
| 2008 | -42.82% | -35.29% | ACWI |
| 2007 | +14.78% | — | — |
| 2006 | +8.85% | — | — |
| 2005 | +3.00% | — | — |
| 2004 | -2.86% | — | — |
VGT vs ACWI in plain words
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index while ACWI follows the MSCI ACWI Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VGT charges 0.09% a year in running costs and ACWI charges 0.32% — VGT 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, VGT finished the year ahead 14 times and ACWI 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $76,464 in VGT versus $30,708 in ACWI by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VGT vs ACWI
| Fact | VGT | ACWI |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Information Technology ETF | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index | MSCI ACWI Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.09% | 0.32% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Jan 2004 | 26 Mar 2008 |
Frequently asked
Is VGT or ACWI better?
Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, VGT finished the year ahead 14 times and ACWI 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $76,464 in VGT versus $30,708 in ACWI 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 VGT and ACWI?
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index while ACWI follows the MSCI ACWI Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VGT charges 0.09% a year in running costs and ACWI charges 0.32% — VGT 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 VGT have become?
$10,000 invested in VGT at the start of 2016 grew to $76,464 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 22.6% per year.