VT 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.
VTtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
VUGtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
VT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap 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.
VT 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 | VT | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +11.93% | +6.18% | VT |
| 2025 | +22.43% | +19.40% | VT |
| 2024 | +16.49% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +22.02% | +46.83% | VUG |
| 2022 | -18.00% | -33.16% | VT |
| 2021 | +18.27% | +27.35% | VUG |
| 2020 | +16.59% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | +26.81% | +37.03% | VUG |
| 2018 | -9.76% | -3.32% | VUG |
| 2017 | +24.50% | +27.72% | VUG |
| 2016 | +8.50% | +6.27% | VT |
| 2015 | -1.86% | +3.24% | VUG |
| 2014 | +3.68% | +13.61% | VUG |
| 2013 | +22.94% | +32.48% | VUG |
| 2012 | +17.12% | +17.01% | VT |
| 2011 | -7.51% | +1.82% | VUG |
| 2010 | +13.08% | +17.22% | VUG |
| 2009 | +32.66% | +36.14% | VUG |
| 2008 | -33.05% | -38.02% | VT |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
VT vs VUG in plain words
VT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap 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. VT charges 0.06% 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, VT finished the year ahead 6 times and VUG 13 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,414 in VT versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VT vs VUG
| Fact | VT | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Total World Stock ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | FTSE Global All Cap Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.06% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 24 Jun 2008 | 26 Jan 2004 |
Frequently asked
Is VT or VUG better?
Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, VT finished the year ahead 6 times and VUG 13 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,414 in VT 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 VT and VUG?
VT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap 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. VT charges 0.06% 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 VT have become?
$10,000 invested in VT at the start of 2016 grew to $30,414 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 11.8% per year.