ETF comparison · Emerging markets
EIMI vs VFEM: overlap by weight, TER & holdings
iShares Core MSCI EM IMI UCITS ETF USD (Acc) vs Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets UCITS ETF (USD) Distributing
Different index families disagree about emerging markets: MSCI keeps South Korea in EM (EIMI holds Samsung), FTSE promotes it to developed (VFEM does not). EIMI also reaches into small caps; VFEM stays large and mid cap and pays dividends out.
EIMI vs VFEM at a glance
| EIMI | VFEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares Core MSCI EM IMI UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets UCITS ETF (USD) Distributing |
| ISIN | IE00BKM4GZ66 | IE00B3VVMM84 |
| Index | MSCI EM IMI | FTSE Emerging Markets |
| Market exposure | Emerging markets (large to small cap) | Emerging markets |
| TER | 0.18% | 0.22% |
| Holdings in fund | 1,759 | 2,278 |
| Fund size | ≈ 22 bn USD | ≈ 7.4 bn USD |
| Domicile | Ireland | Ireland |
| Replication | Physical (optimized sampling) | Physical (sampling) |
| Use of income | Accumulating | Distributing |
| Launched | May 30, 2014 | May 22, 2012 |
Top shared holdings
| EIMI | VFEM | |
|---|---|---|
| 2330TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING | 13.82% | 17.06% |
| 700TENCENT HOLDINGS | 2.38% | 3.34% |
| 9988ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING | 1.69% | 2.56% |
| 2454MEDIATEK | 1.56% | 1.68% |
| 2308DELTA ELECTRONICS | 0.78% | 1.03% |
| 939CHINA CONSTRUCTION BANK CORP H | 0.74% | 0.99% |
| 2317HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY | 0.69% | 0.89% |
| RELIANCERELIANCE INDUSTRIES LTD | 0.52% | 0.83% |
| 3711ASE TECHNOLOGY HOLDING | 0.49% | 0.56% |
| 1398INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BANK OF | 0.45% | 0.71% |
| 1810XIAOMI | 0.42% | 0.56% |
| 2303UNITED MICRO ELECTRONICS CORP | 0.41% | 0.44% |
| 3988BANK OF CHINA LTD H | 0.38% | 0.47% |
| ANGANGLOGOLD ASHANTI PLC | 0.37% | 0.52% |
| 3690MEITUAN | 0.35% | 0.51% |
Weights per fund, normalized. 811 companies appear in both funds.
What the fee gap costs
Growth of 10,000 invested at 7% annual return, after each fund’s TER: 0.18% for EIMI, 0.22% for VFEM.
| EIMI | VFEM | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| After 10 years | 19,343 | 19,271 | 72 |
| After 20 years | 37,415 | 37,136 | 279 |
| After 30 years | 72,373 | 71,564 | 809 |
EIMI comes out ahead by about 809 per 10,000 invested over 30 years. TER only. Trading spreads, taxes and broker fees are not included.
Where the portfolios differ
| Region | EIMI | VFEM |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 20.1% | 0.0% |
| Hong Kong | 0.0% | 20.1% |
| China | 17.8% | 5.8% |
| Taiwan | 28.0% | 32.4% |
| India | 11.9% | 15.6% |
| Poland | 1.3% | 0.0% |
| Sector | EIMI | VFEM |
|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | 40.5% | 32.1% |
| Financials | 18.7% | 21.2% |
| Consumer Discretionary | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Materials | 6.1% | 7.6% |
| Communication Services | 5.4% | 6.9% |
Only rows where the two funds differ by at least 1 percentage point.
Domicile and withholding tax
Both funds are domiciled in Ireland, so fund-level dividend withholding works the same way for both. Domicile does not separate this pair.
Frequently asked questions
Do EIMI and VFEM overlap?+
Yes: 58.78% by weight, with 811 holdings appearing in both funds. 59.32% of EIMI’s weight is also inside VFEM.
Do EIMI and VFEM track the same index?+
No. EIMI tracks the MSCI EM IMI while VFEM tracks the FTSE Emerging Markets. The 58.78% overlap comes from companies that both indices include.
Which is cheaper, EIMI or VFEM?+
EIMI: 0.18% per year against 0.22% for VFEM. At 7% growth that gap is worth about 809 per 10,000 invested over 30 years.
Is it worth holding both EIMI and VFEM?+
They overlap less than similar-looking funds (58.78% by weight), so holding both can make sense when you want each fund’s distinct exposure. Check the shared-holdings table for what you would be doubling up on.
More comparisons
Methodology
Overlap is the sum of min(weight A, weight B) across holdings that appear in both funds, with each fund’s stored weights normalized to 100%. Holdings come from issuer feeds and regulatory filings in our ETF holdings database; TER and fund size come from fund profile data and are refreshed regularly. Figures update when the underlying holdings data updates.
Holdings data as of Sep 17, 2026, from our ETF holdings database.