New Delhi: The government spent approximately ₹762 crore on overseas visits undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi between 2015 and 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.
In a written reply, the Ministry of External Affairs provided year-wise details of expenditure on the Prime Minister’s foreign travel, along with information about the size of accompanying delegations.
The data shows considerable variation in spending across the decade. Foreign travel came to a near halt in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, resumed gradually in 2021, and increased significantly in subsequent years as in-person bilateral engagements and multilateral summits picked up.
Annual expenditure crossed ₹100 crore from 2024 onwards and peaked in 2025 at over ₹175 crore, coinciding with multiple long-haul, multi-nation tours across Europe, the Americas, Africa and East Asia.
The MEA clarified that during official visits, the Prime Minister is treated as a state guest by the host country, which bears substantial hospitality costs. India’s expenditure primarily covers expenses related to the official delegation, security arrangements, media personnel and logistical support.
According to the reply, the size of the Prime Minister’s delegation since May 2014 has typically ranged between 27 and 72 members, depending on the requirements of each visit. A five-country tour in 2025 reportedly involved 95 officials.
The government also cited expenditure figures for earlier prime ministerial visits for comparison, stating that visits cost ₹10.74 crore for the United States in 2011, ₹9.95 crore for Russia in 2013, ₹8.33 crore for France in 2011 and ₹6.02 crore for Germany in 2013. These figures were presented without adjusting for inflation or currency fluctuations.
Officials said that variations in spending depend largely on the number of countries covered, travel distance, security protocols and the size of the delegation accompanying the Prime Minister.
