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Contingencies (Health Care Cost Recovery Litigation) (Details) (USD $) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2012
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |
Cost of sales | $ 7,785,000,000 us-gaap_CostOfGoodsSold | $ 7,206,000,000 us-gaap_CostOfGoodsSold | $ 7,937,000,000 us-gaap_CostOfGoodsSold
NPM Adjustment Items | 90,000,000 us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount | 664,000,000 us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount |
State Settlements Agreements [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member] |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |
Loss contingency, period of occurrence | November 1998 |  |
State Settlement Agreements annual payments | 9,400,000,000 mo_StateSettlementAgreementsAnnualPayments / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_StateSettlementsAgreementsMember / us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis = mo_HealthCareCostRecoveryActionsMember |  |
State Settlement Agreements attorney fees annual cap | 500,000,000 mo_StateSettlementAgreementsAttorneyFeesAnnualCap / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_StateSettlementsAgreementsMember / us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis = mo_HealthCareCostRecoveryActionsMember |  |
Fair And Equitable Tobacco Reform Act Of 2004 [Member] | State Settlements Agreements [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member] |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |
Aggregate Amount Recorded In Cost Of Sales Related To State Settlement Agreements And Federal Equitable Tobacco Reform Act | 4,600,000,000 mo_AggregateAmountRecordedInCostOfSalesRelatedToStateSettlementAgreementsAndFederalEquitableTobaccoReformAct / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_StateSettlementsAgreementsMember / us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis = mo_HealthCareCostRecoveryActionsMember / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = mo_FairAndEquitableTobaccoReformActOf2004Member | 4,200,000,000 mo_AggregateAmountRecordedInCostOfSalesRelatedToStateSettlementAgreementsAndFederalEquitableTobaccoReformAct / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_StateSettlementsAgreementsMember / us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis = mo_HealthCareCostRecoveryActionsMember / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = mo_FairAndEquitableTobaccoReformActOf2004Member | 4,900,000,000 mo_AggregateAmountRecordedInCostOfSalesRelatedToStateSettlementAgreementsAndFederalEquitableTobaccoReformAct / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_StateSettlementsAgreementsMember / us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis = mo_HealthCareCostRecoveryActionsMember / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = mo_FairAndEquitableTobaccoReformActOf2004Member
Smokeable Products [Member] | Non-Participating Manufacturer Arbitration Panel Decision [Member] | NPM Adjustment to Cost Of Sales [Member] | Philip Morris USA [Member] |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |
NPM Adjustment Items | $ 43,000,000 us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_PhilipMorrisUSAMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_NonParticipatingManufacturerArbitrationPanelDecisionMember / us-gaap_NatureOfExpenseAxis = mo_NpmAdjustmentToCostOfSalesMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = mo_SmokeableProductsMember | $ 664,000,000 us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount / dei_LegalEntityAxis = mo_PhilipMorrisUSAMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_NonParticipatingManufacturerArbitrationPanelDecisionMember / us-gaap_NatureOfExpenseAxis = mo_NpmAdjustmentToCostOfSalesMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = mo_SmokeableProductsMember |

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- Definition Aggregate Amount Recorded in Cost Of Sales Related To State Settlement Agreements And FETRA. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition State Settlement Agreements Attorney Fees Annual Cap + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Total costs related to goods produced and sold during the reporting period. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 03 -Paragraph 2 -Article 5 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 225 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.2(a)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26872669&loc=d3e20235-122688 + Details
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- Definition States when the existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty occurred. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14326-108349 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14435-108349 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14557-108349 + Details
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