OriginaveURTH 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.
URTH
SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index- IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
VUG
- SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
- VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
- QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
- SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
URTH tracks the MSCI World 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.
URTH 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 | URTH | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +11.76% | +11.18% | URTH |
| 2025 | +21.36% | +19.40% | URTH |
| 2024 | +18.66% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +23.95% | +46.83% | VUG |
| 2022 | -17.97% | -33.16% | URTH |
| 2021 | +22.27% | +27.35% | VUG |
| 2020 | +15.78% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | +28.15% | +37.03% | VUG |
| 2018 | -8.56% | -3.32% | VUG |
| 2017 | +22.95% | +27.72% | VUG |
| 2016 | +7.31% | +6.27% | URTH |
| 2015 | -0.64% | +3.24% | VUG |
| 2014 | +4.37% | +13.61% | VUG |
| 2013 | +26.66% | +32.48% | VUG |
| 2012 | +14.71% | +17.01% | VUG |
| 2011 | — | +1.82% | — |
| 2010 | — | +17.22% | — |
| 2009 | — | +36.14% | — |
| 2008 | — | -38.02% | — |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
URTH vs VUG in plain words
URTH tracks the MSCI World 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. URTH charges 0.24% 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 15 calendar years both funds were trading, URTH finished the year ahead 4 times and VUG 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $32,044 in URTH versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: URTH vs VUG
| Fact | URTH | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares MSCI World ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI World Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.24% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Jan 2012 | 26 Jan 2004 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in URTH became | What $10,000 in VUG became |
How bumpy the ride was: URTH vs VUG
These head-to-head figures use only the 3,704 trading days both funds were listed: 12 Jan 2012 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 14.7 years.
VUG swung more than URTH: annualised volatility of 16.9% for URTH against 19.4% for VUG, with URTH moving 1% or more on 23.5% of trading days and VUG on 29.8%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: URTH closed -11.38% and VUG -12.62%.
VUG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.61% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 23 Jan 2024, 14 months after the low; URTH fell -34.01% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 24 Aug 2020, 5 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.85, and they closed in opposite directions on 16.3% of the 3,703 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 12 Jun 2013, when URTH moved +4.18% and VUG -1.07%.
| Measure | URTH | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 16.9% | 19.4% |
| Worst day | -11.38% on 16 Mar 2020 | -12.62% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +9.10% on 24 Mar 2020 | +11.63% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 23.5% of days | 29.8% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -34.01% | -35.61% |
| Peak to trough | 12 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 24 Aug 2020 · 5 months | 23 Jan 2024 · 14 months |
Years URTH and VUG parted ways
In 9 of the 14 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2020: URTH returned +15.78% and VUG +40.25%, a gap of 24.5 points. They rose together in 11 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 1 year.
| Year | URTH | VUG | Gap (URTH − VUG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +18.66% | +32.69% | -14.0 pts |
| 2023 | +23.95% | +46.83% | -22.9 pts |
| 2022 | -17.97% | -33.16% | +15.2 pts |
| 2021 | +22.27% | +27.35% | -5.1 pts |
| 2020 | +15.78% | +40.25% | -24.5 pts |
| 2019 | +28.15% | +37.03% | -8.9 pts |
| 2018 | -8.56% | -3.32% | -5.2 pts |
| 2014 | +4.37% | +13.61% | -9.2 pts |
| 2013 | +26.66% | +32.48% | -5.8 pts |
How often URTH beat VUG over any 12 months
Across the 165 rolling 12-month windows since January 2012, measured month-end to month-end, URTH finished ahead in 22.4% of them (37) and VUG in 77.6% (128).
$200 a month into each, 2013–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2013 to December 2025 (156 payments, $31,200 in total) would have grown to $72,749 in URTH and $105,568 in VUG, leaving VUG $32,819 ahead.
| Outcome | URTH | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $31,200 | $31,200 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $72,749 | $105,568 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$41,549 | +$74,368 |
| Gain in % | +133.17% | +238.36% |
Each payment rides the return of the month it lands in, dividends reinvested. Only calendar years with all twelve months of data for both funds count, so the plan may start later than the shared history.
Frequently asked
Is URTH or VUG better?
Across the 15 calendar years both funds were trading, URTH finished the year ahead 4 times and VUG 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $32,044 in URTH 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 URTH and VUG?
URTH tracks the MSCI World 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. URTH charges 0.24% 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.
Which is more volatile, URTH or VUG?
VUG swung more than URTH: annualised volatility of 16.9% for URTH against 19.4% for VUG, with URTH moving 1% or more on 23.5% of trading days and VUG on 29.8%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: URTH closed -11.38% and VUG -12.62%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, URTH or VUG?
VUG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.61% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 23 Jan 2024, 14 months after the low; URTH fell -34.01% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 24 Aug 2020, 5 months after the low.
How often did URTH beat VUG over a 12-month period?
Across the 165 rolling 12-month windows since January 2012, measured month-end to month-end, URTH finished ahead in 22.4% of them (37) and VUG in 77.6% (128).
What would $10,000 in URTH have become?
$10,000 invested in URTH at the start of 2016 grew to $32,044 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 12.4% per year.
Related comparisons
More head-to-heads featuring URTH or VUG.
Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the US primary listings, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.