Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continue to grow as popular investment choices on the ASX. Investors can't seem to get enough of the instant portfolio diversification that these funds can bring to the table. Not to mention the easy access to investments that are not otherwise available on the ASX.
However, some ASX ETFs are more popular than others. So today let's check out what the most popular exchange-traded funds on the ASX are in early 2025. We'll look at both raw funds under management (FUM), as well as what some popular ASX brokerage platforms tell us investors have been buying.
Starting with the former, these are (according to CommSec) currently the largest five exchange-traded funds on the ASX according to funds under management:
- Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) with $17.69 billion in FUM (as of 30 November 2024)
- iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV) with $11.15 billion in FUM (as of 9 January)
- Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS) with $10.01 billion in FUM (as of 30 November 2024)
- VanEck MSCI International Quality ETF (ASX: QUAL) with $7.15 billion in FUM (as of 9 January)
- BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200) with $6.59 billion in FUM (as of 9 January)
So, all simple index funds on this top five list, with the exception of the more actively-managed QUAL.
We can see the enduring popularity of ASX index funds like VAS and A200 here, as well as the appeal of popular international ETFs like IVV and VGS.
But what about some other data?
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Which ASX ETFs are most popular with brokerage platforms?
Well, some recent data from ASX broker Pearler reveals the funds that were the most popular amongst Pearler customers in 2024.
Its top five ETFs last year were as follows:
- Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF
- iShares S&P 500 ETF
- Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF
- Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF (ASX: VDHG)
- BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)
So some familiar names there, but also a couple of new ones.
The results were also similar on another ASX brokering platform, Superhero. A recent report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) revealed Superhero's most popular ETFs in 2024. These were broken down by age demographic, but here are the average top five:
- iShares S&P 500 ETF
- BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF
- Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF
- Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF
- Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF
Again, not too much variety there when compared to our previous findings.
It seems the appeal of simple (and importantly, cheap) index funds endures on the Australian share market. Let's see what the most popular ETFs of 2025 will be.
