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New Delhi: The government has 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 to a parliamentary question, the MEA provided year-wise details of expenditure incurred on the Prime Minister’s foreign travel, along with information regarding the size of accompanying official delegations.

Wide Year-to-Year Variation

The data reflects significant variation in annual spending, closely aligned with global events and the pace of diplomatic engagement. Foreign travel came to a near standstill in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and international travel restrictions. Visits resumed gradually in 2021, then increased substantially in subsequent years as bilateral engagements, multilateral summits, and state visits intensified.

Annual expenditure crossed ₹100 crore from 2024 onwards and peaked in 2025 at over ₹175 crore. The spike coincided with multiple long-haul, multi-nation tours covering Europe, the Americas, Africa and East Asia.

Officials indicated that expenditure levels are influenced by factors such as the number of countries covered in a single tour, travel distance, security arrangements and the size of the official delegation.

What the Costs Cover

The MEA clarified that during foreign visits, the Prime Minister is treated as a state guest of the host country, which bears substantial hospitality-related expenses. India’s spending primarily covers costs for the official delegation, security arrangements, the media contingent, aircraft operations, and logistical support.

According to the ministry’s response, the size of the Prime Minister’s delegation since May 2014 has typically ranged between 27 and 72 members, depending on the nature and functional requirements of the visit. However, during a five-country tour in 2025, the delegation reportedly included 95 officials.

Post-Pandemic Rise in Diplomatic Engagement

Spending remained relatively modest in the immediate post-pandemic period but rose steadily as in-person diplomacy regained momentum. India’s active participation in global forums, expanded strategic partnerships,, and economic outreach efforts contributed to increased travel frequency and associated costs.

The ministry also provided reference figures for foreign visits undertaken by earlier Prime Ministers, noting that trips to the United States cost ₹10.74 crore in 2011, to Russia ₹9.95 crore in 2013, to France ₹8.33 crore in 2011, and to Germany ₹6.02 crore in 2013. These figures, however, were cited without adjusting for inflation, currency fluctuations or changes in security protocols.

Political and Diplomatic Context

The disclosure comes amid periodic political debate over the cost and frequency of high-level foreign travel. Government officials maintain that such visits are integral to advancing India’s strategic, economic and diaspora engagement objectives, while protocol, security and operational requirements determine expenditure levels.

With global diplomacy increasingly centred on high-level leadership engagement, the MEA’s data underscores both the scale of India’s international outreach over the past decade and the financial outlay required to sustain it.

Year-wise Expenditure on PM’s Overseas Visits (2015–2025)