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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Updated Dec 5, 2025 · 1 min read

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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. All data is sourced from Finviz, is current as of Dec. 5, 2025, and is intended for informational purposes only.

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
EMEQ	Nomura Focused Emerging Markets Equity ETF	55.91%
JADE	J.P. Morgan Active Developing Markets Equity ETF	31.95%
BINV	Brandes International ETF	31.39%
DFIS	Dimensional International Small-Cap ETF	29.64%
SCHC	Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF	29.60%
JEMA	J.P. Morgan ActiveBuilders Emerging Markets Equity ETF	21.21%
AVNM	Avantis All International Markets Equity ETF	28.75%

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	54.94%
AIA	iShares Asia 50 ETF	41.84%
FLLA	Franklin FTSE Latin America ETF	39.81%
ILF	iShares Latin America 40 ETF	38.22%
FLEU	Franklin FTSE Eurozone ETF	35.96%
FLEE	Franklin FTSE Europe ETF	27.85%
VGK	Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF	27.58%

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
GREK	Global X MSCI Greece ETF	74.27%
EWY	iShares MSCI South Korea ETF	68.97%
FLKR	Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF	68.09%
EWO	iShares MSCI Austria ETF	63.32%
EWP	iShares MSCI Spain ETF	62.01%
COLO	Global X MSCI Colombia ETF	61.18%
VNAM	Global X MSCI Vietnam ETF	60.82%

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