VTI 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.
VTItracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
ACWItracks the MSCI ACWI Index
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market 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.
VTI 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 | VTI | ACWI | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +11.04% | +11.66% | ACWI |
| 2025 | +17.10% | +22.41% | ACWI |
| 2024 | +23.81% | +17.45% | VTI |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +22.27% | VTI |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -18.39% | ACWI |
| 2021 | +25.68% | +18.66% | VTI |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +16.34% | VTI |
| 2019 | +30.67% | +26.59% | VTI |
| 2018 | -5.23% | -9.12% | VTI |
| 2017 | +21.21% | +24.33% | ACWI |
| 2016 | +12.82% | +8.40% | VTI |
| 2015 | +0.36% | -2.21% | VTI |
| 2014 | +12.55% | +3.83% | VTI |
| 2013 | +33.45% | +22.38% | VTI |
| 2012 | +16.45% | +16.75% | ACWI |
| 2011 | +0.97% | -7.82% | VTI |
| 2010 | +17.43% | +12.78% | VTI |
| 2009 | +28.90% | +32.36% | ACWI |
| 2008 | -36.99% | -35.29% | ACWI |
| 2007 | +5.37% | — | — |
| 2006 | +15.70% | — | — |
| 2005 | +6.30% | — | — |
| 2004 | +12.78% | — | — |
| 2003 | +30.74% | — | — |
| 2002 | -20.48% | — | — |
| 2001 | -4.40% | — | — |
VTI vs ACWI in plain words
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while ACWI follows the MSCI ACWI Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and ACWI charges 0.32% — VTI 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, VTI finished the year ahead 12 times and ACWI 7 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $30,708 in ACWI by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VTI vs ACWI
| Fact | VTI | ACWI |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF |
| Tracks | CRSP US Total Market Index | MSCI ACWI Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.32% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 24 May 2001 | 26 Mar 2008 |
Frequently asked
Is VTI or ACWI better?
Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 12 times and ACWI 7 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI 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 VTI and ACWI?
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while ACWI follows the MSCI ACWI Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and ACWI charges 0.32% — VTI 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 VTI have become?
$10,000 invested in VTI at the start of 2016 grew to $37,896 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.3% per year.