The best utilities ETFs

How to invest in the utilities sector using ETFs

With sector ETFs, you invest in a specific part of the economy, for example in the utilities sector. The most widely used standard in the financial industry for dividing the economy into sectors is the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The major index providers MSCI and S&P use this standard consisting of 11 sectors and 68 assigned industries.

For the classification of listed companies in each sector, the index providers analyse in which business segment companies are generating the majority of their sales and profits. Additionally, the positioning and public perception of a company are also taken into account.
0.25% p.a. - 0.30% p.a.
annual total expense ratio (TER) of utilities ETFs
on the utilities sector, which is tracked by ETFs
on the utilities sector
 
The best indices for utilities ETFs

How do I invest in the utilities sector?

An industry or sector index consists of all the companies of a certain sector starting from a parent index. For example, the MSCI World Utilities index tracks all companies from the utilities sector that are included in the MSCI World. A global utilities ETF thus gives you the opportunity to invest in the largest companies from the utilities sector worldwide.

Sector ETFs of this type should not be mixed up with thematic ETFs. Thematic ETFs track a non-standardised industry group and a specific investment theme. We provide you with an overview of the available thematic ETFs here.
 
justETF tip: You can find out more about sector ETFs in our articles Investing in different sectors via ETFs and What sort of sector ETFs are available?.
 

Which companies are included in utilities ETFs?

The utilities sector includes companies such as electricity, gas and water utility companies. It also includes independent power producers and energy traders. Companies active in the generation and distribution of renewable energy are included as well. Producers of fossil fuels, on the other hand, are included in the energy sector. You can invest in renewable energies specifically by using thematic clean energy ETFs.

In this investment guide, you will find all ETFs that allow you to invest globally in companies from the utilities sector. For a performance comparison of the various ETF sectors, please have a look at our market overview.

MSCI World Utilities performance

1 month: 2.68%
1 year: -2.82%
3 years: 17.11%
5 years: 26.68%
 

Utilities ETFs in comparison

The most important factors at a glance
In the table below we have listed the currently available utilities ETFs. Via the "Properties" and "Performance" tabs, you can find detailed information on these ETFs and sort them according to your desired criterion. More information about the different criteria when choosing an ETF can be found in our article on ETF selection.
 
ETF
ISIN
Fund size
in m GBP
TER
in %
Inception date Use of profits Fund domicile Replication method
Xtrackers MSCI World Utilities UCITS ETF 1CIE00BM67HQ30 102 0.25% p.a. 16/03/2016 Accumulating Ireland Full replication
SPDR MSCI World Utilities UCITS ETF IE00BYTRRH56 16 0.30% p.a. 29/04/2016 Accumulating Ireland Full replication
ETF
ISIN
1 month
in %
3 months
in %
6 months
in %
1 year
in %
3 years
in %
5 years
in %
Xtrackers MSCI World Utilities UCITS ETF 1CIE00BM67HQ30 -0.17% -0.66% -1.72% -3.54% 19.72% 27.42%
SPDR MSCI World Utilities UCITS ETF IE00BYTRRH56 -0.17% -0.68% -1.73% -3.61% 19.55% 27.15%

Source: justETF.com; As of 29/02/2024