ESS will be financed by a group of European countries that is jointly deciding to build and operate ESS. Each country generally contributes relative to its GNP, however the exact apportionment will be settled in the negotiations. In order to benefit from the specific scientific competencies that exist in several of the participating countries, part of the subsidies will be in the form of components and material for the facility. It is customary that the host country contributes more than others, since the host country benefits the most from its establishment.
The Swedish government has promised to stand for 32.5% of the cost of construction and 10% of the operational cost. This corresponds to 3-4 billion Swedish kronor for the construction and 90 million Swedish kronor per year, which is little compared to the economic benefits that ESS is estimated to provide Sweden.