What is a global ex-US ETF?

A global ex-US ETF holds stocks from every country except the United States. The largest, VXUS, covers 46 countries with about 8,500 holdings. These funds are designed to pair with a US fund (VTI, VOO) to build a two-ticker global portfolio with intentional weights between domestic and international.

Is it better to hold VT or combine VTI + VXUS?

Functionally similar with two meaningful differences. VT is one ticker, simpler to manage, and requires zero rebalancing. VTI + VXUS lets you pick your own US/international split rather than accepting the market-cap weight (currently ~62% US). Combined, VTI + VXUS is slightly cheaper (0.04% blended vs 0.07% for VT).

How much international exposure should I hold?

Market-cap-weighted global portfolios allocate about 38% outside the US, which is the neutral target. Home-biased allocations often dial back to 10–20%. Diversification-first portfolios may reach 40–50%. There's no single right answer; the framework depends on your views on US vs international relative returns.

Why do global ex-US ETFs yield more than US ETFs?

Sector composition. International markets are heavier in mature dividend-paying sectors (financials, materials, utilities) and lighter in low-dividend tech megacaps that dominate US indices. Median yield on VXUS is around 3% vs 1.3% on VTI — a roughly 1.7% yield premium that has been stable for over a decade.

Best Global ex-US ETFs

International equity exposure that complements a US-heavy core

ETFs tracked

304

Avg TER

0.48%

Median Yield

2.53%

Global ex-US ETFs hold stocks from every country except the United States. They're designed to pair with a dedicated US fund (like VTI) to build a two-ticker global portfolio with intentional country weights. VXUS, the largest example, holds about 8,500 stocks across 46 countries at 0.05%, with median dividend yield around 3% — roughly twice the US yield.

These funds solve a specific problem: investors who want tight control over US weight but simple access to everything else. A 70/30 VTI/VXUS split targets 30% international, a common recommendation for investors concerned about home-country bias in a US-heavy core. A 50/50 split targets much more balanced global exposure. Either is more deliberate than accepting whatever weight a single global fund assigns.

Composition matters. Global ex-US funds are heavy in Europe (about 40%), Japan (about 15%), emerging markets (about 25%), and Canada + Australia (about 20% combined). That composition is materially different from a US-heavy portfolio: more financials, materials, industrials; less technology. The dividend yield premium comes partly from this sector mix — mature financials and resource companies distribute more than tech giants.

Currency is unhedged in standard global ex-US funds, so returns reflect both local-market moves and FX changes versus the USD. Over 10+ year windows these tend to wash out; over 1–3 year windows, currency can dominate returns in either direction.

Who this is for

Investors combining a US core (VTI, VOO) with international for explicit country weights
Portfolios seeking higher dividend yield than a US-only sleeve
Not suitable as a standalone equity allocation — excludes the largest equity market

Top 10 ETFs

#	Ticker	Name	Yield	CAGR 3Y	Vol 1Y	TER	AUM
1	SCHF	Schwab International Equity ETF	2.98%	+20.4%	17.71%	0.03%	$69.7B
2	SPDW	State Street SPDR Portfolio Developed World ex-US ETF	2.92%	+20.4%	17.45%	0.03%	$42.3B
3	VEU	Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Fund ETF Shares	2.48%	+20.0%	17.32%	0.04%	$98.6B
4	VXUS	Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares	2.51%	+19.7%	17.22%	0.05%	$665.7B
5	IEFA	iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF	3.29%	+18.0%	15.81%	0.07%	$194.4B
6	BNDX	Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund ETF Shares	4.58%	+3.7%	3.74%	0.07%	$123.0B
7	IXUS	iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF	2.88%	+19.9%	17.43%	0.07%	$60.6B
8	IDEV	iShares Core MSCI International Developed Markets ETF	3.11%	+18.5%	15.36%	0.04%	$32.7B
9	IAGG	iShares Core International Aggregate Bond ETF	4.54%	+4.4%	3.05%	0.07%	$11.4B
10	VSS	Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares	3.10%	+16.7%	16.65%	0.06%	$14.5B

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Frequently asked questions

What is a global ex-US ETF?: A global ex-US ETF holds stocks from every country except the United States. The largest, VXUS, covers 46 countries with about 8,500 holdings. These funds are designed to pair with a US fund (VTI, VOO) to build a two-ticker global portfolio with intentional weights between domestic and international.
Is it better to hold VT or combine VTI + VXUS?: Functionally similar with two meaningful differences. VT is one ticker, simpler to manage, and requires zero rebalancing. VTI + VXUS lets you pick your own US/international split rather than accepting the market-cap weight (currently ~62% US). Combined, VTI + VXUS is slightly cheaper (0.04% blended vs 0.07% for VT).
How much international exposure should I hold?: Market-cap-weighted global portfolios allocate about 38% outside the US, which is the neutral target. Home-biased allocations often dial back to 10–20%. Diversification-first portfolios may reach 40–50%. There's no single right answer; the framework depends on your views on US vs international relative returns.
Why do global ex-US ETFs yield more than US ETFs?: Sector composition. International markets are heavier in mature dividend-paying sectors (financials, materials, utilities) and lighter in low-dividend tech megacaps that dominate US indices. Median yield on VXUS is around 3% vs 1.3% on VTI — a roughly 1.7% yield premium that has been stable for over a decade.

Related Region

Best Global ex-US ETFs

Who this is for

Top 10 ETFs

Frequently asked questions

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