Dividends: index funds & ETFs with the highest historical return
Ranked by historical return alone, highest first: Fidelity US Quality Income (Fidelity) leads with an approximate 9% annualized return. Past returns don't guarantee future ones, and a higher return usually comes with higher risk — check each fund's risk indicator before choosing.
Fidelity US Quality Income
Fidelity · Dividends
Hist. return*
~9%
WisdomTree US Quality Dividend Growth
WisdomTree · Dividends
Hist. return*
~9%
Fidelity Global Quality Income
Fidelity · Dividends
Hist. return*
~8%
JPMorgan US Equity Premium Income
JPMorgan · Dividends
Hist. return*
~8%
SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats
SPDR · Dividends
Hist. return*
~8%
iShares MSCI World Quality Dividend Advanced (Acc)
iShares · Dividends
Hist. return*
~7%
iShares MSCI World Quality Dividend Advanced (Dist)
iShares · Dividends
Hist. return*
~7%
iShares STOXX Global Select Dividend 100
iShares · Dividends
Hist. return*
~7%
JPMorgan Global Equity Premium Income
JPMorgan · Dividends
Hist. return*
~7%
VanEck Morningstar Developed Markets Dividend Leaders
VanEck · Dividends
Hist. return*
~7%
Vanguard FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield
Vanguard · Dividends
Hist. return*
~7%
Vanguard FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield (Acc)
Vanguard · Dividends
Hist. return*
~7%
iShares MSCI Europe Quality Dividend Advanced (Dist)
iShares · Dividends
Hist. return*
~6%
SPDR S&P Euro Dividend Aristocrats
SPDR · Dividends
Hist. return*
~6%
SPDR S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats
SPDR · Dividends
Hist. return*
~6%
Frequently asked questions
How is this ranking built?+
A single, explicit, objective criterion: the approximate historical annualized return of the index each fund tracks, sorted from highest to lowest in the Dividends category. No sponsored placements, no editorial picks.
Is the cheapest / highest-return fund always the best choice?+
Not necessarily — and be careful here: a high historical return usually reflects a riskier, more concentrated index (tech, a single country), and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Check the risk indicator before deciding.
How many funds are in this Dividends ranking?+
15 — every fund and ETF in the Dividends category in our catalog whose data we're confident is accurate and current. Quality over an arbitrary count.
Other rankings
* Indicative long-term annualized historical return of the benchmark index, not the fund. Always check the up-to-date TER, risk and data in the official factsheet linked. Past returns do not guarantee future returns.