The Union government told Rajya Sabha that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign trips since 2021 have cost Rs 555.7 crore for visits to 77 countries. A written reply from the Ministry of External Affairs details year-wise and country-wise expenses, noting 12 trips in 2026 so far, excluding the France visit, and highlights over 316 agreements signed across sectors like defense, trade, energy and research.
PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI'S foreign trips since 2021 have incurred a total expense of Rs 555.7 crores, the Union government told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Between 2021-2026 (till now) the head of the government has visited 77 countries, including trips to 12 countries this year.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had given a written reply that was tabled in the Upper House detailing PM Modi’s foreign trip expenses. This was in response to a question raised by Members of Parliament Sanjay Singh and Dr V Sivadasan, who had asked for a country-wise account of the Prime Minister's foreign visits since 2021, the year-wise and visit-wise cost of each trip, and details of bilateral agreements, investment commitments and actual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that the country received as a result.
Prime Minister Modi undertook a total of 12 foreign trips in 2026 as of yet, which incurred a total of ₹74.59 crore in expenditure. However, the MEA’s written reply clarified that the total expenses for this year did not take into account the sum that was spent on the PM’s visit to France in June 2026, which he undertook to attend an outreach session of the G20 Summit and hold bilateral meetings. The Ministry stated that the “compilation of bills is still underway.”
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Presenting the figures in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita said the year-wise and visit-wise expenditure numbers, plus a country-wise list of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) that were signed during these visits, have been placed in two annexures attached to the written reply.
Starting from 2021 till now, the highest expenditure on PM Modi’s trips was recorded in the year 2025, wherein the PM’s visits to 23 countries cost ₹187.83 crore.
Margherita further remarked that PM Modi’s trips to 77 countries between 2021-2026 culminated in the signing of over 316 agreements — including Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) between government institutions, research bodies, and universities; and other government-to-government pacts. The MoU covered various fields, such as defense, trade, investment, nuclear energy research and development, healthcare, renewable energy, space, sports, and culture.
The Prime Minister's visit to the Nordic nation Norway in May 2026, for a bilateral meeting between the nations and to attend the India-Nordic Summit, incurred the largest expense in 2026 — around ₹17.46 crore. The visit to Israel in February 2026 cost ₹11.92 crore, Seychelles visit in June 2026 incurred an expense of ₹8.22 crore, while the Sweden visit in May 2026 cost ₹6.32 crore.
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Others trips conducted this year and their incurred expenses are: ₹5.57 crore for a visit to Malaysia in February, ₹1.97 crore for a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ₹3.6 crore for a visit to the Netherlands, ₹4.23 crore for a visit to Italy (all in May), ₹4.77 crore for a visit to the Slovak Republic in June, ₹3.87 crore for a visit to Indonesia, ₹1.18 crore for a visit to Australia, and ₹5.43 crore for a visit to New Zealand (all in July).
Total expenditures incurred on PM Modi's foreign trips between 2021-2025, as shared by Wion journalist Sidhant Sibal, are as follows:
In the MEA’s written reply, the Minister of State remarked that the Prime Minister’s visits to these foreign nations are crucial for fostering close diplomatic relations, and promotes India’s engagements at various levels. He continued that these foreign trips culminated in the signing of MoU and other government agreements, facilitating strengthening of partnerships across a wide range of sectors such as including technology, innovation, trade and investment, defense and energy cooperation, among others.
High level visits by the Prime Minister are established means of fostering closer relations with foreign countries and promoting India’s engagements at bilateral, regional and global levels. These visits, and the understandings and agreements concluded therein, facilitate the strengthening of partnerships across a wide range of sectors, including technology, innovation, trade and investment, defense and energy cooperation, and resilient supply chains, among others.Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita
The MEA’s written reply also disclosed that India has received USD 381.8 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between April 2021 and December 2025.
Margherita stated that these figures are the actual expenses that were spent on PM Modi’s foreign trips, and do not account for inflation or currency fluctuations.
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