ETFs / VWO
What If You Had Invested in VWO 10 Years Ago?
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) with real monthly prices, dividends reinvested, through November 2026.
VWO $54.24 ▼ -3.62% last close, Nov 05, 2026
If you had invested $1,000 in VWO in November 2016, today it would be worth
$1,974
Same $1,000 in the S&P 500 (SPY): $3,895
If you had put $500 a month into VWO since November 2016, your $60,500 would be worth today
$85,597
Same plan in the S&P 500 (SPY): $128,888
More options in the What If calculator.
VWO live price chart
VWO returns by period
| Period | Total return | Per year | $1,000 became | SPY per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | $0.1140 | +60.6% | ||
| Jun 18, 2026 | $0.0710 | -93.1% | ||
| Dec 19, 2025 | $1.0330 | +268.9% | ||
| Sep 19, 2025 | $0.2800 | +101.4% | ||
| Jun 20, 2025 | $0.1390 | +195.7% | ||
| Mar 21, 2025 | $0.0470 | -95.6% | ||
| Dec 20, 2024 | $1.0660 | +695.5% | ||
| Sep 20, 2024 | $0.1340 | -21.2% | ||
| Jun 21, 2024 | $0.1700 | +335.9% | ||
| Mar 15, 2024 | $0.0390 | -95.5% | ||
| Dec 18, 2023 | $0.8650 | +163.7% | ||
| Sep 18, 2023 | $0.3280 | — |
VWO year by year
Best full year: 2009 (+76.3%). Worst: 2008 (-52.5%).
| Year | VWO | SPY | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +1.2% | +8.3% | |
| 2025 | +25.6% | +17.7% | |
| 2024 | +10.6% | +24.9% | |
| 2023 | +9.3% | +26.2% | |
| 2022 | -18.0% | -18.2% | Chinese stocks slumped on lockdowns and a property crisis, while a strong dollar hurt all emerging markets. |
| 2021 | +1.3% | +28.7% | |
| 2020 | +15.2% | +18.3% | |
| 2019 | +20.8% | +31.2% | |
| 2018 | -14.8% | -4.6% | |
| 2017 | +31.5% | +21.7% | |
| 2016 | +12.2% | +12.0% | |
| 2015 | -15.8% | +1.2% | |
| 2014 | -0.0% | +13.5% | |
| 2013 | -4.9% | +32.3% | |
| 2012 | +19.2% | +16.0% | |
| 2011 | -18.8% | +1.9% | |
| 2010 | +19.5% | +15.1% | |
| 2009 | +76.3% | +26.4% | |
| 2008 | -52.5% | -36.8% | The global financial crisis. Bank failures and a deep recession made this one of the worst years for stocks since the 1930s. Emerging markets fell even harder than the U.S. |
| 2007 | +37.3% | +5.1% |
VWO: all at once or every month?
Take $12,000: all of it on day one, or $1,000 a month for a year. Across every starting month since 2005 (249 of them), the lump sum was ahead after 12 months in 161 (65%). The lump sum usually won, but roughly one start in 3 favored spreading it out. The best case for monthly investing was a start in May 2008, when it finished the year 75% ahead.
Worst drop
VWO's worst fall in this history was -61.7%, a loss of more than half, from October 2007 to February 2009. Getting back to the old high took until October 2017: 104 months from the bottom and 10.0 years from the peak. $1,000 invested at that peak shrank to about $383 at the low.
VWO dividends
VWO paid $1.22 per share over the last 12 months, quarterly. At $54.24 that is 2.25%, a moderate yield. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly payout grew +9.4% a year, well ahead of inflation. The yearly total fell in 2016, 2020, 2023. Fund payouts move around with what the holdings pay, so a lower year is not a cut in the usual sense. Amounts are adjusted for splits.
| Year | Dividends / share | Change | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1.50 | +6.4% | 2.79% |
| 2024 | $1.41 | -2.7% | 3.20% |
| 2023 | $1.45 | -9.7% | 3.52% |
| 2022 | $1.60 | +23.5% | 4.11% |
| 2021 | $1.30 | +36.0% | 2.63% |
| 2020 | $0.96 | -33.6% | 1.91% |
| 2019 | $1.44 | +31.1% | 3.24% |
| 2018 | $1.10 | +3.8% | 2.88% |
| 2017 | $1.06 | +17.6% | 2.30% |
| 2016 | $0.90 | -15.6% | 2.52% |
Yield = each year’s dividends divided by the price at the end of the year.
VWO dividend history: last 12 payments
| Ex-dividend date | Amount | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | $0.1140 | +60.6% |
| Jun 18, 2026 | $0.0710 | -93.1% |
| Dec 19, 2025 | $1.0330 | +268.9% |
| Sep 19, 2025 | $0.2800 | +101.4% |
| Jun 20, 2025 | $0.1390 | +195.7% |
| Mar 21, 2025 | $0.0470 | -95.6% |
| Dec 20, 2024 | $1.0660 | +695.5% |
| Sep 20, 2024 | $0.1340 | -21.2% |
| Jun 21, 2024 | $0.1700 | +335.9% |
| Mar 15, 2024 | $0.0390 | -95.5% |
| Dec 18, 2023 | $0.8650 | +163.7% |
| Sep 18, 2023 | $0.3280 | — |
Stock splits
- June 2008: 2-for-1
About VWO
| Issuer | Vanguard |
| Launched | March 2005 |
| Tracks | FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion |
| Expense ratio | 0.07% |
| Holdings | About 5,800 companies in China, India, Taiwan, Brazil and other emerging markets |
Fund details as of 2025. Check the issuer for the current expense ratio and holdings.
VWO holds companies in emerging markets, led by China, India and Taiwan. FTSE counts South Korea as a developed market, so it is in VEA rather than VWO.
Emerging markets have the highest expected growth and the biggest swings. Long flat stretches are common: VWO's price in the mid-2020s was not far from where it was in 2007.
Questions about VWO
How much would $10,000 invested in VWO 20 years ago be worth today?
About $24,716 with dividends reinvested, invested at the November 2006 close: 147.2% in total, or 4.6% a year.
When does VWO pay dividends?
In the last 12 months the payments went out in June, September and December, $1.22 per share in total.
Did VWO beat the S&P 500?
No. Over the last 20 years it trailed by 6.0 percentage points a year: +4.6% a year for VWO against +10.6% for SPY, dividends reinvested. It also fell harder at its worst (-61.7% against -50.8% for SPY over the same history).