Explained: 9 years, over a 100 trips. A look at Indian PM Narendra Modi's foreign tours in numbers

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the United States from June 21to June 24. The upcoming visit is one of the many visits the Indian PM has made to the US. However, as per reports, it is like none other. During the trip, he will be hosted by American President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for an intimate visit.

Since assuming office in 2014, Narendra Modi, who is an active globetrotter, has made more than 100 foreign visits. His foreign visits have been aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, promoting economic cooperation, attracting investment, and enhancing India's global standing.

Here are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trips in numbers:

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Countries the Indian PM has visited

In total, as per the PM India website, Narendra Modi has flown out of the country a total of70 times, visiting124 countries overthe nine years he has been the prime minister of India.

During his foreign visits, he travelled to 64 nations. These included bilateral trips, as well as the various visits to participate in bi-lateral meetings, multi-lateral meetings and international summits and other meets.

Modi's maiden foreign visit

Narendra Modi's first foreign visit as prime minister was to Bhutan. The visit helped emphasise the importance of India's close ties with its neighbours.

As per NarendraModi.in, Modi said that Bhutanwasa "natural choice"as his first foreign destination due to the "unique and special relationship"the two countries share.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bhutan, the two nations reiterated their commitment to achieving hydropower cooperation. Other key highlights included the inauguration of Bhutan's Supreme Court and the foundation stone laying for the 600MW Kholongchu hydroelectric project. The visit highlighted the importance of business-to-business ties and recognized Bhutan's unique focus on "Gross National Happiness" influenced by its neighbour, India.

Expenses incurred during Narendra Modi's foreign visits

As disclosed on the website pmindia.gov.in, the foreign visits incurred significant expenses.

These five foreign visitsrecorded the highestexpense(Between 15 June, 2014 and 15 November, 2019):

1. USA (21 September – 28 September, 2019): Rs 23,27,09,000
2. Brazil (13 July – 17 July, 2014): Rs 20,35,48,000
3. France, Germany & Canada (9 April – 17 April, 2015): Rs 31,25,78,000
4. Myanmar, Australia & Fiji (11 Nov – 20 Nov, 2014): Rs 22,58,65,000
5. Ireland and USA (23 Sept – 29 Sept, 2015): Rs 18,46,95,000

The total expense incurred between May 2014 and November 2019 stands at INR 3,59,04,52,763 or around 43 million dollars ($43,696,215).

Narendra Modi in US

To date, Narendra Modi has visited the United States six times in his capacity as the Prime Minister of India.

However, in spite of the frequent visits, the upcoming visit from June 21to June 24holds special importance.

The uniqueness of this visit lies in its classification as a state visit. While Modi has made multiple trips to the US in the past, none of them were officially recognised as state visits until this occasion.

As per diplomatic protocol, a state visit is the highest-ranked visit.

It is expected that the reverberations of this high-level visit will be seen in the grandiose with which the Indian prime minister will be received along with the diplomatic line-up during the trip.

Modi in US: Previous visits to America

In 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US, for what was categorised as a working visit.

Subsequently, in 2016, he made a working lunch visit, and in 2017, Modi's trip to the US was officially designated as an official working visit.

Modi's 2019 visit to the US marked a notable moment in the bilateral relationship between the two countries. During the Houston, Texas visit, he participated in a significant rally that garnered attention both in India and the United States.

On September 23, 2021, Modi arrived in Washington for a three-day visit to the US. The visit held significance, as it was his first visit since the outbreak of COVID-19 and also his first trip to the US after President Joe Biden assumed office.

During this visit, Modi had a tightly packed schedule that encompassed attending the Quad summit, delivering a speech at the 76th United Nations General Assembly, and engaging in a bilateral meeting with the US president.

As per the Institute of New Europe, Indian PM Narendra Modi "has made 109 foreign trips to 60 countries. Most often, he visited the United States (6 times), as well as China, France, and Russia (5 times)."

^{Image courtesy: The Institute of New Europe}

Times of India reports that PM Modi's international engagements reached their peak in 2015, with a remarkable record of visiting 28 countries throughout the year. This period coincided with his first full year in office, following his inauguration in May 2014.

In 2018, PM Modi continued his active diplomatic outreach, undertaking more than 20 foreign visits. However, during the election year of 2019, the number of visits decreased to 14. The Covid pandemic also had a significant impact on the prime minister's foreign travels, leading to a significant reduction in the number of visits.

(With inputs from agencies)

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