Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits since 2021 have cost at least Rs 557.51 crore to the exchequer, according to a reply tabled in the Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday.
The information was furnished in response to an unstarred question raised by Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh and Dr V Sivadasan, who sought details of the Prime Minister’s overseas visits since 2021, the expenditure incurred on each visit, and country-wise details of bilateral agreements and investment commitments arising from those visits.
According to the reply, the Prime Minister has undertaken official visits to countries across Asia, Europe, North America, Africa and the Pacific between 2021 and 2026.
The government also clarified that the expenditure for the France leg of the Prime Minister’s June 13-18, 2026, visit has not yet been compiled and is therefore not reflected in the total. It also noted that several other 2026 figures are provisional and will be finalised after settlement of all bills.
The expenditure varied depending on the destination, duration and nature of the visits. Among the costliest visits listed in the reply were the February 2025 visit to France (Rs 25.59 crore) and the United States (Rs 16.54 crore), the July 2025 visit to Brazil (Rs 17.72 crore), the April 2025 visit to Saudi Arabia (Rs 15.54 crore), the September 2024 visit to the United States (Rs 15.33 crore), and the June 2024 visit to Italy (Rs 14.36 crore).
What MEA said about PM’s visits
In its reply, the MEA said high-level visits by the Prime Minister are an established means of strengthening India’s engagement with foreign countries and promoting bilateral, regional and global cooperation. It said these visits help deepen partnerships across sectors including technology, innovation, trade and investment, defence, energy cooperation and resilient supply chains.
The ministry also noted that, for reference, expenditure on some Prime Ministerial foreign visits during earlier years included Rs 10.74 crore for a visit to 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. It added that these figures represent actual expenditure without adjustment for inflation or currency fluctuations.
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Here’s a look at the year-wise visits by the Prime Minister from 2021 to 2026:
2026
According to Annexure I, the Prime Minister visited Malaysia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy, France, the Slovak Republic, Seychelles, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand in 2026. The Ministry of External Affairs, however, stated that the expenditure for the France leg of the Prime Minister’s June 13-18, 2026 visit has not been included as the compilation of bills is still underway. It also noted that several expenditure figures for 2026 are provisional and will be finalised after settlement of all bills.
2025
The annexure lists the Prime Minister’s visits to France, the United States, Mauritius, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Canada, Croatia, Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, Namibia, the United Kingdom, the Maldives, China, Japan, Bhutan, South Africa, Jordan, Oman and Ethiopia in 2025. Among the highest individual expenditures were France (Rs 25.59 crore), Brazil (Rs 17.72 crore), the United States (Rs 16.54 crore) and Saudi Arabia (Rs 15.54 crore).
2024
According to the annexure, the Prime Minister visited the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bhutan, Italy, Russia, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, the United States, Lao PDR, Nigeria, Brazil, Guyana and Kuwait in 2024. The highest expenditures listed for the year were the United States (Rs 15.33 crore), Italy (Rs 14.36 crore) and Russia (Rs 10.75 crore).
2023
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The annexure shows that the Prime Minister visited Japan, Australia, Papua New Guinea, the United States, Egypt, France, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Greece, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates in 2023. The United States visit (Rs 22.90 crore) accounted for the highest expenditure during the year, followed by Japan (Rs 17.19 crore) and France (Rs 13.75 crore).
2022
According to the annexure, the Prime Minister travelled to Germany, Denmark, France, Nepal, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Japan and Indonesia in 2022. The highest expenditure listed was for the Germany visit in June (Rs 14.47 crore), followed by the Germany visit in May (Rs 9.44 crore) and the Japan visit in May (Rs 8.69 crore).
2021
According to the annexure, the Prime Minister’s foreign visits in 2021 included Bangladesh, the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom. The United States visit (Rs 19.63 crore) accounted for the highest expenditure among the four visits, followed by the United Kingdom (Rs 8.57 crore), Italy (Rs 6.90 crore) and Bangladesh (Rs 1.01 crore).