Stock vs. Bond ETFs by the Numbers: Assets, Fees and Flows

By Adam Patti, Chief Executive Officer, VistaShares | Published November 13, 2026

Stock ETFs are the largest part of the ETF market by almost any measure, with more than twice as many funds as bond ETFs and far larger flagship funds. Bond ETFs are smaller but growing quickly, and they are the cheapest ETFs to own on average. This page compares the two categories with dated figures on fund counts, size, recent flows, new money and fees.

Figure	Stock ETFs	Bond ETFs
Funds tracked by ETFIQ (Nov 12, 2026)	1,930	853
Share of all funds ETFIQ tracks (Nov 12, 2026)	38%	17%
Largest single fund, net assets (Oct 31, 2026)	$1.0 trillion	$167.4 billion
Net flows, month to Nov 11, 2026	$61.0 billion in, 795 funds counted	$27.2 billion in, 384 funds counted
Monthly flow against the counted funds’ assets	0.93%	1.8%
Net flows, week to Nov 11, 2026	$17.6 billion in, 814 funds counted	$5.7 billion in, 375 funds counted
Asset-weighted expense ratio, index ETFs, 2025 (ICI)	0.14% for index equity ETFs	0.09% for index bond ETFs
Change in that expense ratio, 2009 to 2025 (ICI)	Down 59%, from 0.34%	Down 64%, from 0.25%

Sources: counts and shares, ETFIQ ETF statistics, data as of Nov 12, 2026; largest funds, ETFIQ stock ETFs and ETFIQ bond ETFs, net assets as of Oct 31, 2026; flows, ETFIQ fund flows, as of Nov 11, 2026; expense ratios, ICI (notes 1 and 2). Flows count only funds with daily share data.

How many stock and bond ETFs are there?

ETFIQ tracked 1,930 stock ETFs and 853 bond ETFs as of November 12, 2026, 38% and 17% of the 5,146 ETFs it covers. The rest were leveraged, buffer, thematic, option income, commodity, crypto, allocation and alternatives funds. Stock ETFs span U.S. large, mid and small companies, sectors and international markets; bond ETFs span Treasuries, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, mortgage securities and short-term cash-like funds.

Our articles on bond ETFs and international and emerging market ETFs cover the main types.

How large are the biggest funds?

The largest stock ETF held $1.0 trillion and the largest bond ETF held $167.4 billion, both as of October 31, 2026. The gap reflects how many investors use ETFs: broad stock index funds serve as the core holding in many portfolios, while bond exposure is often split across several funds by maturity and credit type.

Across the whole market, U.S. ETFs held $16.24 trillion at the end of September 2026, according to ETFGI.³

Where has money been flowing?

In the month to November 11, 2026, stock ETFs with daily data took in a net $61.0 billion across 795 funds, and bond ETFs took in $27.2 billion across 384 funds. Relative to the assets of the funds counted, though, bond funds grew faster: their monthly inflow equaled 1.8% of assets, against 0.93% for stock funds. In the week to November 11, stock ETFs took in $17.6 billion and bond ETFs $5.7 billion.

Bond ETFs have drawn strong demand for several years. ICI reported that bond ETF net issuance rose from $295 billion in 2024 to $443 billion in 2025, out of a record $1.5 trillion for all U.S. ETFs.⁴ Flow figures from ETFIQ are estimated from daily changes in shares outstanding and cover only funds with daily share data.

How do fees compare?

Index bond ETFs had an asset-weighted average expense ratio of 0.09% in 2025, and index equity ETFs 0.14%, according to ICI.¹ Both have fallen sharply: since 2009, the average for index equity ETFs is down 59%, from 0.34%, and for index bond ETFs down 64%, from 0.25%.²

Asset-weighted averages are pulled down by the largest, lowest-cost funds. Many specialized stock and bond funds charge more. The simple average expense ratio of index equity ETFs, which counts every fund equally, was 0.45% in 2025.¹

How do they behave differently?

What drives value: stock ETFs move with company earnings and investor sentiment; bond ETFs move with interest rates and credit conditions.

What they pay: stock ETFs may pay dividends; bond ETFs pay interest income, usually monthly.

Trading: a bond ETF’s underlying bonds trade less often than stocks, so its market price can differ more from its net asset value during stressed markets. Our article on premiums and discounts explains why.

How should investors read these numbers?

Counts are not weights: more stock funds exist, but that says nothing about the right mix for a portfolio.

Flows are relative: a smaller dollar inflow can be a larger share of a smaller category.

Dates matter: every figure applies to the date shown. Our guide on rebalancing an ETF portfolio covers keeping a stock and bond mix on target.

More basics articles are in the ETF Basics Guide.

Frequently asked questions

How many bond ETFs are there?

ETFIQ tracked 853 bond ETFs on November 12, 2026, compared with 1,930 stock ETFs.

Are bond ETFs cheaper than stock ETFs?

On average, yes. ICI put the asset-weighted average expense ratio at 0.09% for index bond ETFs and 0.14% for index equity ETFs in 2025.

Which category took in more money recently?

Stock ETFs took in more dollars, $61.0 billion in the month to November 11, 2026, against $27.2 billion for bond ETFs. As a share of the counted funds’ assets, bond ETFs grew faster.

Why are the largest stock ETFs so much bigger?

Broad stock index funds serve as the core holding for many investors and institutions, so a few of them have gathered very large assets.

What is net issuance?

It is the value of new ETF shares created minus shares redeemed over a period. ICI uses it to measure money moving into ETFs.

Do bond ETFs mature like bonds?

Most do not. They hold a changing portfolio of bonds and keep a roughly steady maturity profile. Some target maturity bond ETFs do close on a set date.

Adam Patti, Chief Executive Officer of VistaShares, is also the founder of ETFIQ. ETFIQ does not accept payment from ETF issuers, and its figures are calculated from public filings and market data.

Cite this page: Adam Patti, "Stock vs. Bond ETFs by the Numbers: Assets, Fees and Flows," VistaShares, updated November 13, 2026, https://www.vistashares.com/stock-vs-bond-etfs-by-the-numbers/. Plain-text version.

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