21 Best-Performing International ETFs: Ex-U.S., Regional and Single-Country
International ETFs can provide an easy way to diversify outside the U.S. Here are the 7 best-performing ex-U.S., regional and single-country ETFs over the last year.
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International stocks have been thriving in 2025, but buying individual stocks from other countries isn’t always easy. One workaround is an international stock ETF — an exchange-traded fund that does the work of researching and investing in foreign stocks for you.
But what kind of international ETF may be best for you? They come in a few different varieties, including global “ex-U.S.” ETFs, continent-specific or regional ETFs, and single-country ETFs. Below, we’re taking a look at the differences between these categories, and some of the best performers from each.
Top 7 best-performing ex-U.S. ETFs
Ex-U.S. ETFs are the broadest category of international ETFs — they’re funds that invest in global stocks, but exclude American stocks, hence “ex-U.S.” Below are the seven best-performing ex-U.S. ETFs in the last year.
Ticker | Fund name | 1-year return |
|---|---|---|
BCIL | Bancreek International Large Cap ETF | 19.78% |
DINT | Davis Select International ETF | 15.97% |
BINV | Brandes International ETF | 15.88% |
DEEF | Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Multifactor ETF | 15.26% |
DFIS | Dimensional International Small Cap ETF | 14.54% |
RFDI | First Trust RiverFront Dynamic Developed International ETF | 14.44% |
AVDE | Avantis International Equity ETF | 14.37% |
Source: Finviz. Data is current as of June 2, 2025, and is intended for informational purposes only.
Top 7 best-performing regional ETFs
Regional ETFs invest in stocks from a specific grouping of countries, such as Latin America. Many invest in stocks from a specific continent, such as Africa, Asia or Europe. Below are the seven best-performing regional ETFs in terms of one-year returns.
Ticker | Fund name | 1-year return |
|---|---|---|
AFK | MVIS GDP Africa Index | 17.64% |
FLEU | Franklin FTSE Eurozone ETF | 17.52% |
FLEE | Franklin FTSE Europe ETF | 16.18% |
GSEU | Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity ETF | 15.40% |
ASEA | Global X FTSE Southeast Asia ETF | 13.89% |
VGK | Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF | 13.53% |
BBEU | JPMorgan BetaBuilders Europe ETF | 13.43% |
Source: Finviz. Data is current as of June 2, 2025, and is intended for informational purposes only.
Top 7 best-performing single-country ETFs
Then there are single-country ETFs, which, as their name implies, exclusively invest in stocks from a specific non-U.S. country. Below are the seven single-country ETFs with the highest one-year returns.
Ticker | Fund name | 1-year return |
|---|---|---|
ARGT | Global X MSCI Argentina ETF | 48.91% |
UAE | iShares MSCI UAE ETF | 42.12% |
EIS | iShares MSCI Israel ETF | 37.71% |
FLGR | Franklin FTSE Germany ETF | 34.07% |
EWS | iShares MSCI Singapore ETF | 33.87% |
DAX | Global X DAX Germany ETF | 33.41% |
EWG | iShares MSCI Germany ETF | 33.36% |
Source: Finviz. Data is current as of June 2, 2025, and is intended for informational purposes only, not for trading purposes.
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Neither the author nor editor owned positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.