Rs 762 crore spent on PM Modi’s foreign tours in 10 years
MEA clarifies that during foreign visits the Prime Minister is treated as a guest of receiving country, which bears substantial hospitality expenses
The government spent around Rs 762 crore on overseas visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi between 2015 and 2025.
This was revealed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The MEA, in a written reply, placed year-wise details of spending on the Prime Minister’s foreign travel along with information on accompanying delegations.
The figures indicate wide variation across years, with travel coming to a halt in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions and resuming gradually in 2021 before rising significantly thereafter.
Annual expenditure crossed Rs 100 crore from 2024 and peaked in 2025 at over Rs 175 crore, coinciding with multiple long-haul multi-nation tours across Europe, the Americas, Africa and East Asia.
The MEA 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 includes 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 generally ranged between 27 and 72 members depending on functional requirements, with a five-country visit in 2025 involving 95 officials.
Spending remained relatively modest in the immediate post-pandemic period but rose steadily as bilateral engagements and multilateral summits intensified.
The government also cited earlier PM visits for reference, stating they cost Rs 10.74 crore for the US 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.
Officials said expenditure varies mainly on account of the number of countries covered, travel distance, security requirements and delegation size.
