VGVF (VHVE) vs VGWD: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
Every figure here is in euros — what you'd actually pocket buying on Xetra. Fund fact sheets usually headline returns in US dollars, which can look very different: in 2025 a world tracker rose about 23% in dollars but only about 9% in euros, because the euro gained roughly 13% against the dollar. Here's the full story, year by year.
VGVF
VGWD
VGVF tracks the FTSE Developed World IndexVGWD tracks the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index
What did the last 5 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. Both funds are measured over the same 5 full years (2021–2025) — the longest stretch both were trading.
VGVF vs VGWD, 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 | VGVF | VGWD | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +17.03% | +17.20% | VGWD |
| 2025 | +8.99% | +13.16% | VGWD |
| 2024 | +24.73% | +15.75% | VGVF |
| 2023 | +20.35% | +7.29% | VGVF |
| 2022 | -13.58% | +0.08% | VGWD |
| 2021 | +31.62% | +27.90% | VGVF |
| 2020 | +2.32% | -9.60% | VGVF |
| 2019 | — | +25.03% | — |
| 2018 | — | -8.03% | — |
| 2017 | — | +0.41% | — |
VGVF vs VGWD in plain words
VGVF tracks the FTSE Developed World Index while VGWD follows the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VGVF charges 0.12% a year in running costs and VGWD charges 0.29% — VGVF is the cheaper fund to hold.
VGVF reinvests its dividends automatically (accumulating), while VGWD pays them out as cash (distributing). Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, VGVF finished the year ahead 4 times and VGWD 3 times. €10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth €18,610 in VGVF versus €17,989 in VGWD by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
VHVE is the London (USD) listing of the same fund, ISIN IE00BK5BQV03 — VGVF is its EUR line on Xetra.
VHYL is the London (GBP) listing of the same fund, ISIN IE00B8GKDB10 — VGWD is its EUR line on Xetra.
Fund facts: VGVF vs VGWD
| Fact | VGVF | VGWD |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard FTSE Developed World UCITS ETF (Acc) | Vanguard FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield UCITS ETF (Dist) |
| Tracks | FTSE Developed World Index | FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.12% | 0.29% |
| Dividends | Accumulating — dividends reinvested | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 24 Sept 2019 | 21 May 2013 |
| ISIN | IE00BK5BQV03 | IE00B8GKDB10 |
| WKN | A2PLS9 | A1T8FV |
| Also trades as | VHVE | — |
| €10,000 invested | What €10,000 in VGVF became | What €10,000 in VGWD became |
How bumpy the ride was: VGVF vs VGWD
These head-to-head figures use only the 1,697 trading days both funds were listed: 5 Feb 2020 to 7 Oct 2026, roughly 6.7 years.
VGVF swung more than VGWD: annualised volatility of 16.0% for VGVF against 14.8% for VGWD, with VGVF moving 1% or more on 21.3% of trading days and VGWD on 15.4%. Both had their worst day on 12 Mar 2020: VGVF closed -6.71% and VGWD -9.53%.
VGWD had the deeper drawdown: it fell -34.57% from its peak on 17 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 18 Mar 2021, 11 months after the low; VGVF fell -33.14% from its peak on 13 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jan 2021, 9 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.89, and they closed in opposite directions on 17.2% of the 1,696 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 12 Mar 2020, when VGVF moved -6.71% and VGWD -9.53%.
| Measure | VGVF | VGWD |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 16.0% | 14.8% |
| Worst day | -6.71% on 12 Mar 2020 | -9.53% on 12 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +8.33% on 24 Mar 2020 | +8.04% on 24 Mar 2020 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 21.3% of days | 15.4% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -33.14% | -34.57% |
| Peak to trough | 13 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 17 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 |
| Back above the old peak | 6 Jan 2021 · 9 months | 18 Mar 2021 · 11 months |
Years VGVF and VGWD parted ways
In 4 of the 6 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2022: VGVF returned -13.58% and VGWD +0.08%, a gap of 13.7 points. They rose together in 4 years and went opposite ways in 2 years.
| Year | VGVF | VGWD | Gap (VGVF − VGWD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +24.73% | +15.75% | +9.0 pts |
| 2023 | +20.35% | +7.29% | +13.1 pts |
| 2022 | -13.58% | +0.08% | -13.7 pts |
| 2020 | +2.32% | -9.60% | +11.9 pts |
How often VGVF beat VGWD over any 12 months
Across the 68 rolling 12-month windows since February 2020, measured month-end to month-end, VGVF finished ahead in 58.8% of them (40) and VGWD in 41.2% (28).
€200 a month into each, 2021–2025
Putting €200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2021 to December 2025 (60 payments, €12,000 in total) would have grown to €16,724 in VGVF and €15,948 in VGWD, leaving VGVF €776 ahead.
| Outcome | VGVF | VGWD |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | €12,000 | €12,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | €16,724 | €15,948 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +€4,724 | +€3,948 |
| Gain in % | +39.37% | +32.90% |
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 VGVF or VGWD better?
Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, VGVF finished the year ahead 4 times and VGWD 3 times. €10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth €18,610 in VGVF versus €17,989 in VGWD 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 VGVF and VGWD?
VGVF tracks the FTSE Developed World Index while VGWD follows the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VGVF charges 0.12% a year in running costs and VGWD charges 0.29% — VGVF is the cheaper fund to hold. VGVF reinvests its dividends automatically (accumulating), while VGWD pays them out as cash (distributing).
Which is more volatile, VGVF or VGWD?
VGVF swung more than VGWD: annualised volatility of 16.0% for VGVF against 14.8% for VGWD, with VGVF moving 1% or more on 21.3% of trading days and VGWD on 15.4%. Both had their worst day on 12 Mar 2020: VGVF closed -6.71% and VGWD -9.53%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VGVF or VGWD?
VGWD had the deeper drawdown: it fell -34.57% from its peak on 17 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 18 Mar 2021, 11 months after the low; VGVF fell -33.14% from its peak on 13 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jan 2021, 9 months after the low.
How often did VGVF beat VGWD over a 12-month period?
Across the 68 rolling 12-month windows since February 2020, measured month-end to month-end, VGVF finished ahead in 58.8% of them (40) and VGWD in 41.2% (28).
What would €10,000 in VGVF have become?
€10,000 invested in VGVF at the start of 2021 grew to €18,610 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 13.2% per year.
Is VHVE the same as VGVF?
VHVE is the London (USD) listing of the same fund, ISIN IE00BK5BQV03 — VGVF is its EUR line on Xetra.
Related comparisons
More head-to-heads featuring VGVF or VGWD.
Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the EUR trading lines on Xetra, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.