{"format":"alysly-page/1","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/msci-world-criticism/","json":"https://alysly.com/json/learn/msci-world-criticism/index.json","lang":"en-US","title":"MSCI World Criticism: How Big Is the US Concentration?","description":"The MSCI World is criticized for its heavy US weighting. The current breakdown by country and sector, and which fund types change the weighting.","published":"2026-07-13T11:24:42+02:00","modified":"2026-11-01T18:26:04+01:00","alternates":[{"lang":"de-DE","url":"https://alysly.com/de/lernen/msci-world-kritik/","json":"https://alysly.com/json/de/lernen/msci-world-kritik/index.json"}],"about":"Machine-readable version of the page at url. It contains the text, tables and key figures published there, but not the interactive charts and tools.","breadcrumb":[{"name":"Investing & Trading Basics","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/"},{"name":"Level 0","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/#level-0"},{"name":"MSCI World Criticism: How Big Is the US Concentration?","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/msci-world-criticism/"}],"content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Level 0 Investing & ETF Basics · Part 10/16"},{"type":"heading","level":1,"text":"MSCI World Criticism: How Big Is the US Concentration?"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"By Alexander Bock, founder and data analyst","links":[{"text":"Alexander Bock","href":"https://alysly.com/about/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The MSCI World is regarded as the classic one-ETF portfolio. It is often criticized for its heavy US weighting and the dominance of a few mega-caps. The current figures:"},{"type":"image","src":"https://alysly.com/img/ta/msci-world-countries.6da6251b0e5aa51d983280025dd329e5b1ec919b38744d40cd54d434bd2445b7.webp","alt":"Bars of country weights in the MSCI World: the US at about 72 percent, then Japan, the UK, Canada, France, Switzerland and Germany"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Country weights from the holdings list of an MSCI World ETF (iShares Core MSCI World, as of September 15, 2026): US 72.3%, Japan 5.9%, UK 3.5%, Canada 3.4%, France 2.3%, Switzerland 2.1%, Germany 2.1%, all other countries combined 8.2%."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Live data"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"What's Inside – MSCI World"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Based on: Xtrackers MSCI World UCITS ETF 1d · as of Nov 1, 2026 · 1247 holdings · index page MSCI World","links":[{"text":"index page MSCI World","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/msci-world/"}]},{"type":"table","caption":"What's inside – MSCI World","columns":["#","Stock","Weight"],"rows":[["1","Apple Inc. AAPL","5.62%"],["2","NVIDIA Corporation NVDA","5.39%"],["3","Microsoft Corporation MSFT","4.10%"],["4","Amazon.com Inc. AMZN","2.59%"],["5","Alphabet Inc. Class A GOOGL","1.83%"],["6","Broadcom Inc. AVGO","1.71%"],["7","Meta Platforms Inc Class A META","1.50%"],["8","Alphabet Inc. Class C GOOG","1.45%"],["9","Tesla Inc. TSLA","1.26%"],["10","Eli Lilly and Company LLY","1.21%"]]},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Sectors"},{"type":"facts","items":[{"label":"IT","value":"30.6%"},{"label":"Finanzwesen","value":"16.0%"},{"label":"Industrie","value":"10.7%"},{"label":"Gesundheitsversorgung","value":"9.9%"},{"label":"Zyklische Konsumgüter","value":"8.6%"},{"label":"Kommunikation","value":"7.1%"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The country and sector bars come from the holdings data of the index funds. The US share and the weight of the largest tech names are the points the criticism refers to."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"which-fund-types-change-the-weighting","text":"Which Fund Types Change the Weighting"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Other regions or factors: small-cap or value funds, for example, lower the weight of the largest companies in an overall portfolio.","links":[{"text":"small-cap","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/"},{"text":"value","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/themes/"}]},{"text":"Overlap between two funds is shown in the ETF comparison; a second fund holding the same names changes little.","links":[{"text":"ETF comparison","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/compare/"}]},{"text":"Concentration cuts both ways. The high US weight reflects the market value of US companies and has carried much of the index return in recent years. Whether that continues is open. Our own analysis is in US weight in the MSCI World.","links":[{"text":"US weight in the MSCI World","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/msci-world-us-weight/"}]}]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"concentration-in-numbers","text":"Concentration in Numbers"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The index holds about 1,250 companies, yet the ten largest make up 26.7% of the weight, and the largest, Apple, 5.62% on its own. US companies account for 72.3% (holdings as of Nov 1, 2026). Concentration is not unique to the present. In the late 1980s, Japan was the largest country in the MSCI World, and its weight then fell for decades."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"what-other-indices-change-about-the-weights","text":"What Other Indices Change About the Weights"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["Adding emerging markets: in a portfolio of 70% MSCI World and 30% MSCI EM IMI, the US share falls to 50.9%. In the MSCI ACWI IMI, it is 63.8%.","Equal weighting: every company gets the same share. This lowers the weight of the largest firms but raises the share of smaller ones and the amount of trading.","Without the US: indices such as the MSCI World ex USA leave the US out entirely and shift the risk to the remaining countries."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Information only, not investment advice."},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Previous ETFs & Tax in Germany: The Essentials","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-taxes-germany/"},{"text":"Next Sector ETFs: A Single Industry in One Fund","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/sector-etfs/"}]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Indices"},{"type":"table","caption":"Indices, performance over the selected period","columns":["Index","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"Dow Jones","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/dow-jones/"},{"text":"+1.7%","data":{"m1":"+1.7%","m3":"-1.4%","m6":"+4.5%","ytd":"+7.6%","max":"+30.1%"}}],[{"text":"S&P 500","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/sp500/"},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+35.8%"}}],[{"text":"MSCI World","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/msci-world/"},{"text":"-0.8%","data":{"m1":"-0.8%","m3":"+0.6%","m6":"+4.0%","ytd":"+10.2%","max":"+35.3%"}}],[{"text":"MSCI ACWI","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/msci-acwi/"},{"text":"-1.7%","data":{"m1":"-1.7%","m3":"-0.2%","m6":"+2.9%","ytd":"+10.3%","max":"+41.7%"}}]]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"ETFs"},{"type":"table","caption":"ETFs, performance over the selected period","columns":["Fund","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY","links":[{"text":"SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/us/spy/"}]},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+35.8%"}}],[{"text":"Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO","links":[{"text":"Vanguard S&P 500 ETF","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/us/voo/"}]},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+34.3%"}}],[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc) EUNL","links":[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-core-msci-world-ucits-etf-usd-acc/"}]},{"text":"-0.8%","data":{"m1":"-0.8%","m3":"+0.6%","m6":"+4.6%","ytd":"+10.9%","max":"+489.0%"}}],[{"text":"Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1c XMME","links":[{"text":"Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1c","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/xtrackers-msci-emerging-markets-ucits-etf-1c/"}]},{"text":"-6.3%","data":{"m1":"-6.3%","m3":"+2.4%","m6":"+0.7%","ytd":"+15.2%","max":"+95.2%"}}]]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Stocks"},{"type":"table","caption":"Stocks, performance over the selected period","columns":["Stock","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"NVIDIA Corporation NVDA","links":[{"text":"NVIDIA Corporation","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/nvidia-corporation/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"-10.4%","data":{"m1":"-10.4%","m3":"+1.9%","m6":"+3.1%","ytd":"+9.7%","max":"+60.6%"}}],[{"text":"Apple Inc. AAPL","links":[{"text":"Apple Inc.","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/apple-inc/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"+3.5%","data":{"m1":"+3.5%","m3":"+11.6%","m6":"+23.0%","ytd":"+26.8%","max":"+51.4%"}}],[{"text":"Tesla Inc. TSLA","links":[{"text":"Tesla Inc.","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/tesla-inc/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"+12.7%","data":{"m1":"+12.7%","m3":"+28.5%","m6":"+2.3%","ytd":"-11.1%","max":"+65.9%"}}]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Data note 1","href":"#dn-1"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"More Studies"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Jul 21, 2026 Collectibles ×5.4 for the same cards, matched-model index, Mar 2022 – Aug 2026 Is the Pokémon Card Market in a Bubble? 4,159 Sales Analyzed Prices for PSA-graded cards multiplied. Measured on the same cards they rose 438%, while the raw median shows 786% because pricier cards came up for sale later.","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/pokemon-card-market-bubble/"},{"text":"May 19, 2026 Crypto 45.6% Bitcoin’s annualized volatility, Jul 2024 – Sep 2026 Bitcoin in Investment Portfolios: The Real Numbers Bitcoin is calmer than it was and still about three times as volatile as the stock market. It moves with stocks, not with gold.","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/bitcoin-investment-portfolios/"},{"text":"Mar 17, 2026 Wealth €1.2m needed for €3,000 a month indefinitely at a 3% real return Living Off Your Returns: What It Really Takes The capital you need is arithmetic. The return you assume is a guess, and it can triple the answer.","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/living-off-returns/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"View all studies","href":"https://alysly.com/analysis/#studies"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Learn"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Sector ETFs: A Single Industry in One Fund Sector ETFs bundle one industry – like consumer staples. What that means for diversification and volatility, with a live example.","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/sector-etfs/"},{"text":"Dividend ETFs: Payouts and Required Capital How distributing ETFs generate regular payments, where the payout comes from and how large a portfolio must be for a given amount.","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/dividend-etfs/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Course overview","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Updated Nov 1, 2026 · Content and figures checked Nov 1, 2026"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"note-legend-h","text":"Data Notes"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"All calculations run automatically and are not investment advice."},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":[{"id":"dn-1","text":"Returns computed automatically from the price series, excluding dividends, taxes and costs."}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Data and methodology: Alysly · Responsible for content: Alexander Bock","links":[{"text":"Alysly","href":"https://alysly.com/methodology/"},{"text":"Alexander Bock","href":"https://alysly.com/about/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"View all data notes","href":"https://alysly.com/notes/"}],"structured_data":[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://alysly.com/#org","name":"Alysly","url":"https://alysly.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://alysly.com/img/icon-512.png","width":512,"height":512},"description":"Data-driven insights, transparent analysis and powerful tools for long-term investors.","email":"mail@alysly.com","contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","email":"mail@alysly.com","availableLanguage":["de","en"]},"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Haltern am See","postalCode":"45721","addressCountry":"DE"},"founder":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#founder"},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/alyslycom/","https://www.youtube.com/@alyslycom","https://x.com/alyslycom"],"publishingPrinciples":"https://alysly.com/methodology/"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://alysly.com/#founder","name":"Alexander Bock","jobTitle":"Founder and data analyst","url":"https://alysly.com/about/","sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/abxk/"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://alysly.com/#site","url":"https://alysly.com/","name":"Alysly","alternateName":"Alysly Investment Analysis","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#org"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://alysly.com/learn/msci-world-criticism/#webpage","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/msci-world-criticism/","name":"MSCI World Criticism: How Big Is the US Concentration? – Alysly","description":"The MSCI World is criticized for its heavy US weighting. 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Financial information is analyzed and presented partly with AI assistance."}