Vanguard Total International Stock ETF

Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) is a one-fund way to own non-US stocks: it tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index, holding companies of all sizes in developed and emerging markets (8,779 holdings as of July 31, 2026). Its emerging-market stocks set it apart from developed-only funds such as VEA. Its yearly fee, or expense ratio, is 0.05%, though several similar funds charge 0.03% to 0.04%.

• Over the year to Oct 30, 2026, VXUS returned +12.9%, 9th of 9 among similar funds.
• Its 5-year annualized return was +8.1% and its 10-year +9.1%.
• In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 33.3% and regained its old high 7.5 months after the low.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-16.1%); its best was 2025 (+32.4%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 36% (Jan 26, 2018 to Mar 23, 2020), recovered by Nov 16, 2020.

As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 8,779 securities; the ten largest made up 13.17% of assets, and 2.39% sat in cash and money-market holdings.

• Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $3.60B (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +3.75%, -0.20%, -0.96%.

VXUS is the exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund. It tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index, which covers companies of all sizes in developed and emerging markets outside the United States. Stocks are weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization (stock market value): bigger companies get bigger weights, counting only shares open to public investors. As of July 31, 2026, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing led at 4.1%, followed by Samsung Electronics (1.8%), ASML (1.4%) and SK hynix (1.4%), while the top 10 made up just 13.2%.

Vanguard uses replication: the fund generally holds the same stocks as the index in about the same proportions, and keeps at least 80% of net assets in index stocks under normal conditions. Because holdings change mainly when the index does, portfolio turnover (the share of holdings traded in a year) was a low 4%. On July 31, 2026, it also held 2.39% in cash, plus small positions in currency forwards and in stock-index futures such as TOPIX contracts, which index funds often use to keep cash invested.

VXUS trades on Nasdaq at market prices, which can differ slightly from the value of its holdings. Because those holdings are priced in foreign currencies, a stronger US dollar can reduce returns for US investors, and a weaker one can help.

• VXUS charges 0.05% a year, versus an average of 0.07% for the similar funds below (5th of 9, cheapest first).
• Of that, 0.03% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $5 in the first year and $64 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

VXUS holds 8,779 stocks from developed and emerging markets outside the US (as of July 31, 2026) for 0.05% a year, so it can serve as the international part of a stock core alongside a US fund.

VXUS adds stocks from outside the US, tracking the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index. It launched in 2011, after the 2008 crisis. It fell 33% in the 2020 COVID crash, the end of its deepest slide: 36% from January 2018. It made up both losses by November 2020, under eight months after the bottom. In 2022 it fell 28% and took about 18 months from the bottom to recover; 2022 was its worst calendar year, down 16%. Selling shares for spending after drops like these locks in losses.

Its quarterly dividends over the 12 months to October 27, 2026 equaled 2.39% of the price. The 0.05% expense ratio is below the 0.07% average for similar funds; the SEC's standard example puts costs at $64 over 10 years on $10,000. Past results don't predict future ones, and a plan needs to look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.

Compared head to head: VEA vs VXUS · IXUS vs VXUS · SCHF vs VXUS · all comparisons →