Op Sindoor, tariffs and mineral hunt drive PM Modi’s busiest travel year since 2015

Operation Sindoor, rising trade pressures, and the search for critical minerals set the context for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s most demanding foreign travel schedule in a decade, culminating in a year that saw heightened diplomatic outreach and
economic engagement across continents.

Last week, PM Modi returned from a four-day, three-nation tour that included Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman, with the signing of the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) emerging as a key outcome of the visit.

23 countries, 42 days 

With his return on December 18, the
Prime Minister had completed 11 foreign tours in 2025, visiting 23 countries and spending 42 days overseas, according to an analysis of data available on the Ministry of External Affairs and Prime Minister’s Office websites. This marked the highest number of countries visited by Modi in a single year since 2015, his first full calendar year in office, and made 2025 the most vigorous year of his foreign travel so far.

In 2015, PM Modi undertook 13 foreign tours, visited 28 countries — including Russia and France twice — and spent 54 days abroad.

Trade pressures and minerals drive outreach

The Prime Minister’s overseas engagements increased sharply after May, particularly following Operation Sindoor. However, analysts point to two broader factors behind the surge in travel. One was India’s effort to secure access to critical minerals following Chinese curbs on their supply. The other, more significant driver was New Delhi’s need to diversify its export markets after the White House imposed stiff tariffs on Indian goods.

Seen in this light, Modi’s visit to Muscat, during which India and Oman signed the CEPA, assumed particular importance.

Another factor that enabled the Prime Minister’s extensive travel in 2025 was the relatively light domestic electoral calendar. Only two assembly elections were held during the year, in Delhi and Bihar, mirroring the situation a decade earlier in 2015.

How 2025 compares with recent years

By contrast, 2024, which coincided with the Lok Sabha elections and was followed by four assembly polls, saw Modi undertake 11 foreign tours, visit 16 countries and spend 31 days abroad. This was still more than any year since 2019, which also coincided with a general election.

Over his second term, the Prime Minister’s foreign travel was markedly reduced, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He undertook no foreign visits in 2020 and made just three tours in 2021, covering four countries.

In subsequent years, his travel remained lower than during the first term. In 2022, Modi went on seven foreign tours, visiting 10 countries, while in 2023 he undertook six foreign visits, covering 11 countries.

However, the pace and intensity of overseas travel during the first two years of Modi’s third term have now come to match the momentum seen during the early years of his first term.