What if you invested $1,000 in Emerging Markets (VWO) in 2015? (Inflation-Adjusted)

VWO · Index · Adjusted to 2026 dollars using BLS CPI-U data

Nominal returns can be misleading over long periods. $1,000 in Emerging Markets (VWO) in 2015 became $1,853 by 2026. Over those 11 years, cumulative CPI inflation reached 39% (BLS CPI-U). Restating the return in constant purchasing power, the real value of your gain in 2015 dollars is $1,333, a real annualized return of +2.6%.

Nominal final value

$1,853

+85.3% total return

Real value (2015 dollars)

$1,333

+33.3% real total return

Real annualized return

+2.6%

vs. +5.6% nominal annualized

Cumulative CPI-U inflation since 2015: 39% (1 dollar in 2015 = $1.39 in 2026)

Year-by-Year (Inflation-Adjusted)

$1,000 in Emerging Markets (VWO) since 2015, values in constant 2015 dollars

Year	Nominal Value	Real Value (2015 $)
2015	$1,000	$1,000
2016	$795	$784
2017	$1,001	$965
2018	$1,351	$1,263
2019	$1,163	$1,062
2020	$1,210	$1,088
2021	$1,521	$1,302
2022	$1,500	$1,176
2023	$1,327	$1,002
2024	$1,291	$947
2025	$1,492	$1,073
2026	$1,953	$1,405

Inflation adjustment uses BLS CPI-U annual data, deflated to 2026 dollars. Nominal stock data from Yahoo Finance (split-adjusted closing prices). Real values are expressed in constant 2015 purchasing-power dollars. For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. See our methodology and full disclaimer.