Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund vs HDFC Defence Fund
Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund (Direct) and HDFC Defence Fund (Direct) head to head: growth of ₹100, returns across every window, risk, cost, and portfolio overlap — every figure computed from AMFI NAV history, nothing supplied by a fund house. Both are Sectoral/ Thematic schemes — see the best sectoral & thematic mutual funds for the full ranking.
Head to head
NAVs as of 15 Oct 2026
Growth of ₹100 (rebased over the selected window)
Common period 02 Jun 2023 – 14 Oct 2026, limited by HDFC Defence Fund. Every series is rebased to ₹100 at the start of this window. Benchmark lines are the category index WealthTicker measures against, which is not always the benchmark the scheme itself declares — the fund page’s Scheme Info names that one.
View as table
| Date | Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund | HDFC Defence Fund | Nifty India Defence TRI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Jun 2023 | ₹100.00 | ₹100.00 | ₹100.00 |
| 13 Sep 2023 | ₹100.91 | ₹119.28 | ₹132.04 |
| 24 Dec 2023 | ₹107.51 | ₹149.30 | ₹165.32 |
| 05 Apr 2024 | ₹110.96 | ₹175.68 | ₹206.21 |
| 16 Jul 2024 | ₹113.78 | ₹246.73 | ₹329.97 |
| 27 Oct 2024 | ₹119.05 | ₹204.16 | ₹251.21 |
| 06 Feb 2025 | ₹125.45 | ₹191.44 | ₹246.06 |
| 20 May 2025 | ₹133.56 | ₹236.96 | ₹331.03 |
| 30 Aug 2025 | ₹148.63 | ₹231.16 | ₹306.64 |
| 11 Dec 2025 | ₹159.42 | ₹233.69 | ₹313.40 |
| 23 Mar 2026 | ₹157.78 | ₹228.56 | ₹306.74 |
| 04 Jul 2026 | ₹178.22 | ₹307.30 | ₹397.96 |
| 14 Oct 2026 | ₹178.16 | ₹306.97 | ₹386.89 |
Portfolio overlap (same stocks held through more than one fund)
Some overlap is structural: SEBI defines large cap as the top 100 stocks by market capitalisation, so two large-cap funds are fishing the same pond by regulation. The bands below are measured per sleeve pairing rather than against one blanket threshold. How this is measured →
- 74 stocks only in Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund
- 0 stocks in both — 0.0% of each portfolio by weight
- 24 stocks only in HDFC Defence Fund
The more the circles overlap, the more the funds hold the same stocks.
Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund and HDFC Defence Fund share 0% of their equity book by weight.
| Metric | Aditya Birla Sun Life · Direct NAV ₹56.75 Very High risk ★★★★☆ | HDFC · Direct NAV ₹30.41 Very High risk ★★★★☆ | Category median Sectoral/ Thematic · 256 funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| +16.40% | +20.36%Best in row | +0.21% | |
| +22.40% | +35.51%Best in row | +13.04% | |
| +12.19% | — | +11.14% | |
| +13.84% | — | +14.24% | |
| +11.99% | +39.06% | +12.20% | |
| +17.51% | — | — | |
| +10.07% | +39.39%Best in row | +17.16% | |
| +10.43% | — | +16.11% | |
| +10.11% | — | +15.99% | |
| Risk | |||
| 12.54%Best in row | 25.96% | 15.58% | |
| 1.27Best in row | 1.12 | 0.40 | |
| 1.82Best in row | 1.54 | 0.53 | |
| -27.46% | -34.54% | -23.01% | |
| — | Nifty India Defence TRI | — | |
| — | +0.23% | +2.53% | |
| — | 0.84 | 0.95 | |
| — | 86.7% | 98.1% | |
| — | 85.5% | 91.8% | |
| 2.00% | 0.89%Best in row | 1.15% | |
| ₹332.57Cr | ₹11,128Cr | ₹1,202Cr | |
| Up to 1.00% | 1.00% | — | |
| ₹1.00K | ₹100 | — | |
| ₹1.00K | ₹100 | — | |
| 106% | 8% | 52% | |
| Dhaval Joshi · 3.9y | Rahul Baijal · 1.5y | — | |
| 31 Oct 2007 | 02 Jun 2023 | — | |
| 74 | 24 | — | |
| 29.2% | 79.3% | — | |
| 6.5% | 1.7% | — | |
1 row carries the same value for every fund — show
- Lock-in
- None
Best marks the strongest value in a row, and only where the gap is bigger than noise — a near-tie is left unmarked rather than dressed up as a result. SIP XIRR is a ₹10,000/month instalment over 5 years of real NAV history. Nothing here is supplied by a fund house. For research only — not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
Which fund has delivered higher returns — Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund or HDFC Defence Fund?
Over the last 3 years, HDFC Defence Fund returned +35.51% CAGR against Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund's +22.40%, computed from AMFI NAV history. Past returns don't guarantee future performance.
Which fund is cheaper — Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund or HDFC Defence Fund?
HDFC Defence Fund has the lower expense ratio: Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund charges 2.00% a year against HDFC Defence Fund's 0.89%. The expense ratio is deducted from the NAV daily, so a lower one compounds in the investor's favour.
Which fund is riskier — Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund or HDFC Defence Fund?
HDFC Defence Fund has shown higher volatility (+25.96% annualized vs Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund's +12.54%), measured as the annualized standard deviation of daily returns over the trailing 3 years. Worst 3-year drawdown: Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund -13.90% vs HDFC Defence Fund -34.54%.
Which fund manages more money — Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund or HDFC Defence Fund?
HDFC Defence Fund is the larger fund: Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund manages ₹332.57Cr against HDFC Defence Fund's ₹11,128Cr in assets. Size cuts both ways — scale lowers costs, but a very large fund can find it harder to move in and out of positions.
Are Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund and HDFC Defence Fund in the same category?
Yes — both are Sectoral/ Thematic schemes, so their returns, risk and cost are directly comparable against the same peer set.
Figures update daily from AMFI NAV history; ratings and ranks are WealthTicker’s own — see the methodology. This is data, not investment advice.