VT vs VWO: 11% overlap

Vanguard Total World Stock ETF and Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF share 11.5% of their portfolios by weight — computed as Σ min(wA, wB) over every holding both funds own.

Hold both, 50/50
1.9Effective Funds

You would hold two tickers and get the diversification of 1.9. Two funds that shared nothing would score 2.0; two identical funds score 1.0.

Overlap
11.5%
VT expense ratio
0.06%
VWO expense ratio
0.06%

Top shared holdings

VT and VWO hold 4,500 of the same securities. The ten contributing most to the overlap figure:

Holdingin VTin VWOΔ
23301.6%15.7%14.1%
CASH1.0%4.2%3.2%
7000.3%2.8%2.5%
99880.2%1.8%1.6%
24540.2%1.6%1.5%
23080.1%1.0%0.9%
23170.1%0.8%0.7%
HDFCBANK0.1%0.8%0.7%
9390.1%0.7%0.7%
RELIANCE0.1%0.8%0.7%

Where VT and VWO differ

Sector weights as a share of each fund, ordered by the size of the gap rather than the size of the sector — two funds that overlap heavily still usually diverge somewhere.

SectorVTVWOΔ
Industrials11.5%5.9%+5.6pp
Unclassified3.8%9.3%5.5pp
Health Care7.7%2.8%+4.9pp
Cash and/or Derivatives1.0%4.2%3.2pp
Materials3.3%5.7%2.4pp
Financials14.9%17.2%2.4pp
Consumer Staples4.6%2.9%+1.7pp
Communication Services7.0%5.4%+1.5pp

Δ is VT minus VWO, in percentage points. Sector data is not published by every issuer, so “Unclassified” is a real category rather than a gap in the table.

What each fund holds alone

Only in VT
5,100 positions

87.6% of VT by weight, held in no part of VWO.

Only in VWO
503 positions

0.6% of VWO by weight, held in no part of VT.

A large count with a small weight is the usual shape: the positions one fund adds are typically its smallest ones.

Concentration and cost

VTVWO
Top 10 holdings20.5%30.3%
Positions held9,6005,003
Cost per $10,000 held, per year$6$6

Cost is the expense ratio applied to $10,000; it excludes any brokerage commission, bid-ask spread or tax consequence. Figures are facts about the funds, not a suggestion about which to hold.

Frequently asked

How much do VT and VWO overlap?

VT and VWO overlap 11.5% by portfolio weight — largely distinct portfolios. They share 4,500 holdings. The figure comes from current issuer holdings files (VT as of 2026-06-30, VWO as of 2026-06-30).

How is the overlap between VT and VWO calculated?

As the sum of the smaller weight in each fund, over every holding both funds own: Σ min(wA, wB). If VT holds a stock at 6% and VWO holds the same stock at 4%, 4% counts as shared. The result is bounded between 0% and 100%, and it is computed after looking through any fund-of-funds to the underlying holdings.

Is it redundant to hold both VT and VWO?

That depends on your goals — we state facts, not advice. At 11.5% overlap, each fund still contributes meaningfully distinct exposure.

What does VT own that VWO doesn't?

VT holds 9,600 positions and VWO holds 5,003; 5,100 of VT's positions don't appear in VWO at all, and they are 87.6% of VT by weight.

You probably hold more than two funds

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Related comparisons

Sources: issuer holdings files, VT as of 2026-06-30, VWO as of 2026-06-30. Weights are fractions of each fund. Diagnostics, not advice.