SRINAGAR: The government has spent around Rs 762 crore on overseas visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi between 2015 and 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs informed the Lok Sabha.
In a written reply tabled in the House, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita placed year-wise expenditure details on the Prime Minister’s foreign travel, along with information on the size of accompanying delegations.
The data shows considerable variation in annual spending over the decade. Foreign travel came to a near halt in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, resulting in a sharp dip in expenditure. Tours resumed gradually in 2021 and rose steadily thereafter as bilateral engagements and multilateral summits intensified.
Annual expenditure crossed Rs 100 crore from 2024 onwards and peaked in 2025 at over Rs 175 crore. The spike coincided with multiple long-haul, multi-nation tours spanning Europe, the Americas, Africa and East Asia, including extensive engagements across five-country circuits.
The Ministry clarified that during foreign visits the Prime Minister is treated as a guest of the receiving country, which bears substantial hospitality expenses. India’s expenditure covers costs related to the official delegation, security arrangements, media contingent and logistical support.
According to the reply, the size of the Prime Minister’s delegation since May 2014 has generally ranged between 27 and 72 members, depending on functional requirements. A five-country visit in 2025 involved a delegation of 95 officials, one of the largest in recent years.
Spending in the immediate post-pandemic years remained relatively modest compared to pre-2020 levels, but increased sharply as in-person diplomacy resumed at scale. Officials indicated that expenditure varies primarily based on the number of countries covered in a single trip, travel distance, security requirements and the size of the delegation.
For comparison, the government cited pre-2014 visits, stating that foreign tours cost Rs 10.74 crore for the United States in 2011, Rs 9.95 crore for Russia in 2013, Rs 8.33 crore for France in 2011 and Rs 6.02 crore for Germany in 2013, without adjusting for inflation or currency fluctuations.
The cumulative Rs 762 crore outlay over the decade reflects the scale of India’s diplomatic outreach under the Prime Minister’s three consecutive terms, marked by high-frequency bilateral visits, participation in multilateral summits and strategic engagement across major global capitals.
