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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