Economy

Version

This article has been verified for the current PC version (3.4) of the game.

A gas giant with four units of research resources and one unit of the very rare Zro aerosol.

In Stellaris, the economy is based on the production and consumption of resources and services either from a specific planet or throughout the empire. It relies heavily on Pops working on different Jobs, or mining stations built over various celestial bodies.

Resources can vary from fairly common food crops to very rare substances such as dark matter and also physical minerals to "produce" knowledge, such as research.

If an empire's stored stockpile for a certain resource drops to 0 with negative income it will trigger a Shortage situation.

There are three kinds of resources: Material, Abstract and Strategic.

Resource storage capacity

All material resources must be stocked. All empires have a 15,000 basic storage capacity for each resource except energy, which has a 50,000 basic storage capacity. An empire can build ‘Resource Silos’ on colonized planets and a ‘Resource Silo’ on starbases to expand their stockpile capacity. Any produced resources that cannot be stockpiled are simply wasted.

Influence has a 1,000 storage capacity. Naval Capacity has a 9,999 storage capacity. Unity has an infinite storage capacity. For research storage see Stored research.

Material resources

Material resources are the most straightforward and important type as they provide the means to expand geographically, developmentally and technologically. They are gathered and stockpiled on a monthly basis, but not necessarily on the same day. While they all have a stockpile, how that stockpile and the excess is used varies fundamentally between each resource.

Basic resources

Basic resources are directly gathered from celestial bodies or resource districts.

Resource	Main uses	Description
Energy credits	Clear Blockers Cost Terraforming Cost Campaign Edicts Cost Various Upkeep Robotic Pop Upkeep Market purchases	Energy Credits () is an energy backed currency accepted by all space-faring races. You can gain more energy by: Building Generator Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Using Construction Ships to build Mining Stations around energy rich planets or stars. Selling resources on the Market.
Minerals	Buildings and Districts Cost Stations Cost Manufacturing Jobs Upkeep Lithoid Pop Upkeep	Minerals () is a collective term for the basic resources we need to construct ships, stations and planetary buildings. We can gain more by: Building Mining Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Using Construction Ships to build Mining Stations around mineral rich planets or asteroids. Buying more on the Market.
Food	Biological Pop Upkeep Colony Ship Cost for Biological Empires	Food () represents the various nutrients required to sustain and grow Pops. You can gain more by: Building Agriculture Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Buying more on the Market.

Advanced resources

Advanced resources are resources that are produced by refining them from minerals.

Resource	Main uses	Description
Alloys	Starbase and Ship Cost Ship Upkeep Megastructure Cost	Alloys () are advanced resources with a military application, which we need to construct Ships and Starbases. We can gain more by: Building Alloy Foundries buildings on the surface of colonized planets. Building Industrial Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Buying more on the Market.
Consumer goods	Gestalt Consciousnesses empires do not use consumer goods except for Rogue Servitors Pops upkeep Various Specialist jobs upkeep Colony Ship Cost (Unless Gestalt Consciousness) Distribute Luxury Goods decision	Consumer Goods () is an advanced resource that represents the various gadgets, luxuries and goods necessary to give your Pops a good life and to perform intellectual Jobs such as Research. You can gain more by: Building Civilian Industries buildings on the surface of colonized planets. Building Industrial Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Buying more on the Market.

Strategic resources

Strategic resources are special rare resources required to both build and maintain advanced buildings and ship components. They are much harder to obtain than the common basic resources and are therefore also much more highly valued. Strategic resources can be obtained by either extracting them from natural deposits or manufacturing them synthetically. Natural strategic resource deposits are always visible but requires specific technology to exploit. Synthetic versions are produced from minerals, albeit at a steep price. All strategic resources can also be manufactured from Dimensional Fabricator buildings.

Resource	Major uses	Required tech	Major source	Description
Exotic Gases	Advanced plasma weapon components Advanced shield components Strategic resource edicts Advanced buildings cost and upkeep0 Cyto-Revitalization Center Hall of Judgement Energy Nexus Advanced research buildings Hyper-Entertainment Forums Executive Retreat Organic Paradise	Exotic Gas Extraction	Exotic Gas Refineries Gas Extraction Wells Nebula Refinery Gas giant deposits Toxic world deposits	Rare and exotic gases with a variety of uses, particularly in the operation of advanced energy-based weaponry and force fields. Some of the gases can also be used as starship fuel or even as recreational drugs.
Rare Crystals	Advanced laser weapon components Advanced hull components Strategic resource edicts Advanced buildings cost and upkeep0 Advanced consumer goods buildings Commerce Megaplexes Advanced housing buildings Advanced unity buildings Xeno-Outreach Agency	Rare Crystal Mining	Synthetic Crystal Plants Crystal Mines Ice asteroid deposits Frozen world deposits	These crystals have properties that make them extremely effective at focusing laser beams, and they are also a critical component in most advanced electronics. In addition, many cultures treasure them as decorations and adornments.
Volatile Motes	Advanced kinetic and missile weapon components Strategic resource edicts Advanced buildings cost and upkeep0 Food Processing Centers Mineral Purification Hubs Advanced alloys buildings Fortress	Mote Stabilization	Chemical Plants Mote Harvesting Traps Asteroid deposits Molten world deposits	These preternatural particles contain a tremendous amount of energy which could be exploited in energy production, as fuel or even as explosives.'
Zro	Psionic Shields component	Zro Distillation	Toxic world deposits Gas giant anomalies	An extremely rare aerosol of exotic particles. It has been deposited on a number of worlds through meteor impacts, but its true origin is a mystery. If ingested by psionically-gifted individuals, zro acts as a very potent (and addictive) drug that enhances PSI abilities.
Dark Matter	Dark Matter Deflectors component Dark Matter Reactor component Dark Matter Thrusters component Star-Eater construction Aetherophasic Engine upgrade	Dark Matter Drawing	Black hole deposits Black Hole Observatory Star-Eaters	This exotic substance has many properties that seemingly defy several natural laws. Harvestable concentrations can only be found near Black Holes or in certain nebulas.
Living Metal	Living Metal Mega-Construction edict	Living Metal	Anomaly deposits Destroyed Contingency Sterilization Hubs Sentinels archaeology site Sold rarely by the Racket Industrial Enterprise caravan	This inorganic metal shows characteristics usually seen only in biological life forms. It will always attempt to regenerate back into the shape it was stabilized into.
Nanites	Nanite Repair System component Nanite Transmuter building upkeep Nanite Actuators edict		L-Cluster celestial bodies Broken world in Scavenger Bot system	Simple but powerful nanoactuators, allowing for complex manipulations and experiments of macroscopic scales.

Abstract resources

Abstract resources represent non-physical assets that an empire has access to. They are mostly concepts that represent complex sociopolitical activity within the empire's leadership and population.

Resource

Main uses

Description & notes

Influence

Claims Cost
Outpost Cost
Diplomatic Pacts Upkeep
Integrating Subjects

Influence () represents political clout and is used for things like making Claims and building Outposts. The gain rate remains fairly constant throughout the game, but can be increased by declaring other empires your Rivals or increasing you Power Projection.

Power Projection grants up to 2 Influence depending on how many ships you have compared to your Empire Size.

Unity

Leader Cost and Upkeep
Traditions Cost
Edicts Cost
Planetary Decisions Cost
Influencing Elections
Reforming the Government
Faction Interactions

Unity () is used to unlock new Traditions, recruit Leaders and enact Edicts. We can increase our output by building an Autochton Monument or other buildings that provide jobs which produce Unity.

Research

Researching Technologies
Finishing Special Projects

Physics / Society / Engineering Research () is used to research new technologies. We can increase out putput by:

Building Research Labs buildings on our colonies.
Using Construction Ships to build Research Stations around mineral certain planets or stars.

Research speed is based on monthly research points production, then further multiplied by Research Speed modifiers.
Research can be stored by not working on any research or special project.
Stored research is used to double the progress speed of research and special projects until the storage is emptied.

Trade value

See also: Trade

Trade value cannot be stockpiled and instead is collected at the capital via trade routes and converted monthly into energy credits, consumer goods and / or unity based on the empire's trade policy. Gestalt Consciousness empires do not use it.

Resource	Major source	Description
Trade value	Pops (varies based on Living Standards, Civics and/or Traits) Various jobs Galactic Stock Exchange building increases planetary overall trade value Celestial Body deposits (no stations required) Branch Office buildings	Trade Value represents civilian day-to-day economic activity. Starbases collect Trade Value and convert it into resources such as Energy Credits if connected to your capital planet through a Trade Route. Trade Value that is directly collected by your capital Starbase does not need a trade route to generate resources.