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 |
|---|---|---|
| DINT | Davis Select International ETF | 33.91% |
| SCHC | Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF | 24.19% |
| DFIS | Dimensional International Small Cap ETF | 22.43% |
| BINV | Brandes International ETF | 22.25% |
| AVDE | Avantis International Equity ETF | 21.30% |
| AVNM | Avantis All International Markets Equity ETF | 21.21% |
| FENI | Fidelity Enhanced International ETF | 20.93% |
| Source: Finviz. Data is current as of July 24, 2025, and is 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 | 34.16% |
| AIA | iShares Asia 50 ETF | 31.28% |
| FLEU | Franklin FTSE Eurozone ETF | 28.02% |
| FLEE | Franklin FTSE Europe ETF | 21.25% |
| EEMA | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 20.36% |
| VGK | Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF | 19.69% |
| IEUS | iShares MSCI Europe Small-Cap ETF | 19.31% |
| Source: Finviz. Data is current as of July 24, 2025, and is 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 |
|---|---|---|
| KTEC | KraneShares Hang Seng TECH Index ETF | 57.50% |
| ECNS | iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF | 55.31% |
| GREK | Global X MSCI Greece ETF | 54.38% |
| FGM | First Trust Germany AlphaDEX Fund | 54.02% |
| FXI | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | 53.62% |
| KEMQ | KraneShares Emerging Markets Consumer Technology Index ETF | 52.53% |
| FDNI | First Trust Dow Jones International Internet ETF | 50.31% |
| Source: Finviz. Data is current as of July 24, 2025, and is for informational purposes only. | ||
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» MORE: Best online brokers for ETFs
Neither the author nor editor owned positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.
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