MSCI World Index

What the MSCI World Index is, where it lives officially, and how its ride has looked over the years.

What does the MSCI World Index track?

About 1,300 large and mid-sized companies across 23 developed countries — the US, Europe, Japan and beyond — covering roughly 85% of each market. The classic "one number for the rich world's stock markets".

Despite the name it is not the whole world: emerging markets like China and India are not invited (that's what ACWI is for). Think of it as the developed world in one basket.

Maintained byMSCI logoMSCI
On this site we follow it throughiShares logoiShares MSCI World ETF (URTH).

URTH since 2012

Price history of URTH tracking the MSCI World Index$38$80$121$162$20420132016201920222025

The chart shows the dividend-adjusted share price of URTH, the ETF tracking this index — not the raw index level. The shape of the ride is the same.

URTH returns by year (USD)

Last 5 years
+12.35%
average per year (CAGR)
Last 10 years
+12.35%
average per year (CAGR)
YearTotal return
2026 (so far)+9.81%
2025+21.36%
2024+18.66%
2023+23.95%
2022-17.97%
2021+22.27%
2020+15.78%
2019+28.15%
2018-8.56%
2017+22.95%
2016+7.31%
2015-0.64%
2014+4.37%
2013+26.66%
2012+14.71%

Calendar-year total returns of URTH in USD, dividends reinvested — the ETF tracking this index, not the raw index level.

Compare URTH head to head

Yearly returns side by side against the other funds we track.