Global Active ETF Assets Hit Record High $1.3 Trillion
Market expands with $51.7 billion of February inflows as U.S. active ETFs approach $1 trillion milestone.
Active exchange-traded funds are experiencing unprecedented growth in 2025, with global assets reaching a new record of $1.3 trillion at the end of February, according to ETFGI's latest industry report.
The expansion of actively managed ETFs highlights a shift in how investors access active management, with these products now accounting for nearly 9% of the U.S. ETF market compared to just 2% in 2019, according to data from Morningstar Direct, highlighting the growing investor appetite for active strategies in the ETF wrapper.
February's inflows of $51.7 billion pushed year-to-date net inflows to $103.7 billion, the highest on record and well above the $46.4 billion seen during the same period in 2024, according to ETFGI.
Within the United States specifically, active ETFs are approaching the major $1 trillion milestone, with total net assets reaching $956 billion as of February 2025, according to Morningstar Direct.
Record-Breaking Active ETF Growth
The active ETF market has maintained impressive momentum despite varying market conditions. While the S&P 500 decreased by 1.3% in February, active ETF assets continued to climb, according to ETFGI.
According to Morningstar's manager research team, "Exchange-traded funds used to be synonymous with passive investing. At the start of 2019, actively managed ETFs represented just over 2% of the U.S. ETF market. Since then, organic growth for the active ETF market has consistently exceeded 20% per year."
Equity-focused active ETFs led inflows during February, gathering $25.1 billion globally and bringing year-to-date inflows to $51.5 billion, according to ETFGI. Fixed-income active ETFs followed closely with $22.1 billion in February inflows.
The Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF (JAAA) topped the individual fund rankings with $2 billion in net new assets during February, according to ETFGI data. The JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF (JPST) and iShares High Yield Muni Active ETF (HIMU) followed, with $1.9 billion and $1.8 billion in new assets, respectively.
U.S. active ETF growth has been robust, with January seeing active ETFs pull in a record $43 billion, according to Morningstar Direct.
The global active ETF marketplace now encompasses 3,395 products with 4,354 listings from 543 providers across 40 exchanges in 32 countries, according to ETFGI's February report.
