Note 7 - Risk Management - Financial Instruments Compensation - Financial Liabilities (Details) - EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Derivatives [Member]
Net Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements In Statement Of Financial Position Abstract
Gross Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements	€ 49,720,000,000	€ 38,693,000,000	€ 50,583,000,000
Gross Financial Liabilities Set Off Against Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements	5,722,000,000	2,394,000,000	17,101,000,000
Net Financial liabilities Subject To Offsetting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements In Statement Of Financial Position	43,998,000,000	36,299,000,000	33,481,000,000
Amounts Subject To Enforceable Master Netting Arrangement Or Similar Agreement Not Set Off Against Financial liabilities Abstract
Financial liabilities subject to enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement not set off against financial liabilities	33,842,000,000	25,020,000,000	24,011,000,000
Cash collateral receives subjectto off setting enforceable master netting arrangements or similar agreements not set off against financial liabilities	9,435,000,000	10,613,000,000	6,788,000,000
Net liabilities subject to off setting enforceable master netting arrangements or similar agreements	721,000,000	667,000,000	2,682,000,000
Reverse Purchase Securities Borrowing And Similar Agreements [Member]
Net Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements In Statement Of Financial Position Abstract
Gross Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements	43,950,000,000	45,977,000,000	43,035,000,000
Gross Financial Liabilities Set Off Against Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements	0	21,000,000	42,000,000
Net Financial liabilities Subject To Offsetting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements In Statement Of Financial Position	43,950,000,000	45,956,000,000	42,993,000,000
Amounts Subject To Enforceable Master Netting Arrangement Or Similar Agreement Not Set Off Against Financial liabilities Abstract
Financial liabilities subject to enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement not set off against financial liabilities	44,677,000,000	45,239,000,000	42,877,000,000
Cash collateral receives subjectto off setting enforceable master netting arrangements or similar agreements not set off against financial liabilities	1,619,000,000	420,000,000	34,000,000
Net liabilities subject to off setting enforceable master netting arrangements or similar agreements	(2,346,000,000)	297,000,000	82,000,000
Total Member
Net Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements In Statement Of Financial Position Abstract
Gross Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements	93,670,000,000	84,670,000,000	93,618,000,000
Gross Financial Liabilities Set Off Against Financial liabilities Subject To Off setting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements	5,722,000,000	2,414,000,000	17,143,000,000
Net Financial liabilities Subject To Offsetting Enforceable Master Netting Arrangements Or Similar Agreements In Statement Of Financial Position	87,948,000,000	82,256,000,000	76,474,000,000
Amounts Subject To Enforceable Master Netting Arrangement Or Similar Agreement Not Set Off Against Financial liabilities Abstract
Financial liabilities subject to enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement not set off against financial liabilities	78,519,000,000	70,259,000,000	66,888,000,000
Cash collateral receives subjectto off setting enforceable master netting arrangements or similar agreements not set off against financial liabilities	11,054,000,000	11,033,000,000	6,822,000,000
Net liabilities subject to off setting enforceable master netting arrangements or similar agreements	€ (1,624,000,000)	€ 964,000,000	€ 2,765,000,000

No definition available.

Name:	ifrs-full_AmountsSubjectToEnforceableMasterNettingArrangementOrSimilarAgreementNotSetOffAgainstFinancialLiabilitiesAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The amount of cash collateral pledged that is subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement and that is not set off against financial liabilities. [Refer: Financial liabilities]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2020-01-01
-Paragraph IG40D
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=7&code=ifrs-tx-2020-en-r&anchor=para_IG40D&doctype=Implementation%20Guidance
-URIDate 2020-01-01

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2020-01-01
-Paragraph 13C
-Subparagraph d
-Clause ii
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=7&code=ifrs-tx-2020-en-r&anchor=para_13C_d_ii&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2020-01-01

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_CashCollateralPledgedSubjectToEnforceableMasterNettingArrangementOrSimilarAgreementNotSetOffAgainstFinancialLiabilities
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The amount of financial instruments subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement that are not set off against financial liabilities. [Refer: Financial liabilities]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2020-01-01
-Paragraph IG40D
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=7&code=ifrs-tx-2020-en-r&anchor=para_IG40D&doctype=Implementation%20Guidance
-URIDate 2020-01-01

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2020-01-01
-Paragraph 13C
-Subparagraph d
-Clause i
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=7&code=ifrs-tx-2020-en-r&anchor=para_13C_d_i&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2020-01-01

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_FinancialInstrumentsSubjectToEnforceableMasterNettingArrangementOrSimilarAgreementNotSetOffAgainstFinancialLiabilities
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The amount of financial assets set off against financial liabilities when an entity: (a) currently has a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts; and (b) intends either to settle on a net basis, or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously. [Refer: Financial assets; Financial liabilities]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2020-01-01
-Paragraph 13C
-Subparagraph b
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=7&code=ifrs-tx-2020-en-r&anchor=para_13C_b&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2020-01-01

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_GrossFinancialAssetsSetOffAgainstFinancialLiabilitiesSubjectToOffsettingEnforceableMasterNettingArrangementsOrSimilarAgreements
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The gross amount of recognised financial liabilities that are subject either to offsetting or to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement. [Refer: Financial liabilities]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2020-01-01
-Paragraph 13C
-Subparagraph a
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=7&code=ifrs-tx-2020-en-r&anchor=para_13C_a&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2020-01-01

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_GrossFinancialLiabilitiesSubjectToOffsettingEnforceableMasterNettingArrangementsOrSimilarAgreements
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The amount remaining after deducting the amounts subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement that were not set off against financial liabilities, from the net amount of financial liabilities subject to offsetting or subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement presented in the statement of financial position.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2020-01-01
-Paragraph 13C
-Subparagraph e
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=7&code=ifrs-tx-2020-en-r&anchor=para_13C_e&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2020-01-01

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_NetFinancialLiabilitiesSubjectToOffsettingEnforceableMasterNettingArrangementsOrSimilarAgreements
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The net amount of financial liabilities that are subject either to offsetting or to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement, presented in the statement of financial position. [Refer: Financial liabilities]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2020-01-01
-Paragraph 13C
-Subparagraph c
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=7&code=ifrs-tx-2020-en-r&anchor=para_13C_c&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2020-01-01

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_NetFinancialLiabilitiesSubjectToOffsettingEnforceableMasterNettingArrangementsOrSimilarAgreementsInStatementOfFinancialPosition
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_NetFinancialLiabilitiesSubjectToOffsettingEnforceableMasterNettingArrangementsOrSimilarAgreementsInStatementOfFinancialPositionAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	bbva_ClassesoffinancialinstrumentsliabilitiesaxisAxis=ifrs-full_DerivativesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bbva_ClassesoffinancialinstrumentsliabilitiesaxisAxis=bbva_ReversepurchasesecuritiesborrowingandsimilaragreementsmemberMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bbva_ClassesoffinancialinstrumentsliabilitiesaxisAxis=bbva_TotalMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: