Ninety-nine trips, ₹815 crore: Inside PM Modi’s overseas travel record

₹815 crore on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overseas visits since he took office in 2014, covering 78 countries across 99 trips, according to data shared in Parliament last month.The disclosures offer a detailed snapshot of how frequently he travels, which countries dominate his itinerary and what that outreach has cost the exchequer. Overseas travel has been a central plank of Modi’s diplomatic strategy, with the prime minister frequently engaging global leaders in person.A Mint analysis of the data shows that, adjusted for inflation, the total outlay amounts to just over ₹1,000 crore in current prices. In all, Modi has spent 352 days abroad across his three terms.

The figures include expenses on accompanying officials, security and media delegations.A comparable aggregate expenditure number for his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, is not available, as official disclosures for that period provide only spending on chartered flights. Records show Singh undertook 73 foreign trips over 10 years, visiting 46 distinct countries.On average, the data suggests Modi travels abroad roughly once every six weeks. A trip typically lasts 3.6 days and costs ₹10.2 crore at today’s prices.

Of the 99 visits, 31 lasted five days or more, and 42 covered more than one country. Several were multilateral engagements, such as summits and conferences, rather than bilateral state visits.Inflation adjustments have been made using the 2012 series of India’s consumer price index (CPI). Direct cost comparisons between Singh and Modi are not definitive, given different CPI base years across the two tenures.