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Derivative Financial Instruments and Fair Value and Credit Risk of Financial Instruments - Additional information (Detail) (USD $)
12 Months Ended 0 Months Ended 12 Months Ended 0 Months Ended 3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Nov. 26, 2014
bbl
Sep. 10, 2014
Dec. 31, 2012
Jun. 01, 2013
Mar. 31, 2015
bbl
Derivative [Line Items]              
Transfers between levels of fair value hierarchy $ 0gfi_FairValueTransfersBetweenLevelsAmount $ 0gfi_FairValueTransfersBetweenLevelsAmount          
Oil derivative contracts 10,300,000us-gaap_DerivativeFairValueOfDerivativeLiability            
Commodity Contract              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Average recorded price net of refining charges (per ton) 6,026gfi_AverageRecordedPriceNetOfRefiningCharges
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
6,575gfi_AverageRecordedPriceNetOfRefiningCharges
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
    7,322gfi_AverageRecordedPriceNetOfRefiningCharges
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
   
Applicable three month forward copper price 6,378us-gaap_DerivativeAverageForwardPrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
           
Commodity cash settle and swap transaction, volume     283,500gfi_VolumeOfCommoditySold
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
       
Derivative contracts, price per barrel     96.00gfi_CommodityFixedPrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
       
Derivative contracts, percent of usage       50.00%gfi_DerivativeContractsPercentOfUsage
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
     
Derivative contracts, spot price per barrel       99.10gfi_CommoditySpotPrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
     
Commodity cash settled and swap transaction 7,500 barrels per month effective 1 June 2013 until 31 March 2014            
Commodity cash settle and swap transaction outstanding, volume   30,000gfi_VolumeOfCommodityOutstanding
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
         
Commodity cash settle and swap transaction, mark-to-market value   300,000us-gaap_DerivativeFairValueOfDerivativeNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
         
Commodity Contract | Sales              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Gain (loss) on mark-to-market value of contracts $ (8,100,000)us-gaap_DerivativeGainLossOnDerivativeNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= us-gaap_SalesMember
$ (7,900,000)us-gaap_DerivativeGainLossOnDerivativeNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= us-gaap_SalesMember
    $ 15,600,000us-gaap_DerivativeGainLossOnDerivativeNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= us-gaap_SalesMember
   
Commodity Contract | London Metal Exchange              
Derivative [Line Items]              
LME copper prices, average price per ton 6,881gfi_CommodityAveragePrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ dei_EntityListingsExchangeAxis
= exch_XLME
7,324gfi_CommodityAveragePrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ dei_EntityListingsExchangeAxis
= exch_XLME
    7,951gfi_CommodityAveragePrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ dei_EntityListingsExchangeAxis
= exch_XLME
   
Commodity Contract | Brent Crude              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Derivative contracts, price per barrel     78.50gfi_CommodityFixedPrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ us-gaap_EnergyAxis
= gfi_BrentCrudeMember
       
Commodity Contract | Gold Fields Australia (Pty) Limited              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Commodity cash settle and swap transaction, volume       136,500gfi_VolumeOfCommoditySold
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfi_GoldFieldsAustraliaPtyLimitedMember
     
Derivative contracts, price per barrel       115.00gfi_CommodityFixedPrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfi_GoldFieldsAustraliaPtyLimitedMember
     
Commodity Contract | St Ives Gold Mining Company (Pty) Ltd              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Derivative contracts, price per barrel           115.0gfi_CommodityFixedPrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfi_StIvesGoldMiningCompanyPtyLimitedMember
 
Commodity Contract | Subsequent Event              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Commodity cash settle and swap transaction, volume             63,000gfi_VolumeOfCommoditySold
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis
= us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Derivative contracts, price per barrel             94.00gfi_CommodityFixedPrice
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis
= us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Unionized Employees Concentration Risk [Member] | Workforce Subject to Collective Bargaining Arrangements [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unionized workforce participation 73.10%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByBenchmarkAxis
= us-gaap_WorkforceSubjectToCollectiveBargainingArrangementsMember
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByTypeAxis
= us-gaap_UnionizedEmployeesConcentrationRiskMember
           
Unionized Employees Concentration Risk [Member] | Workforce Subject to Collective Bargaining Arrangements [Member] | Peru              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unionized workforce participation 12.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByBenchmarkAxis
= us-gaap_WorkforceSubjectToCollectiveBargainingArrangementsMember
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByTypeAxis
= us-gaap_UnionizedEmployeesConcentrationRiskMember
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_PE
           
Unionized Employees Concentration Risk [Member] | Workforce Subject to Collective Bargaining Arrangements [Member] | Australia              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unionized workforce participation 0.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByBenchmarkAxis
= us-gaap_WorkforceSubjectToCollectiveBargainingArrangementsMember
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByTypeAxis
= us-gaap_UnionizedEmployeesConcentrationRiskMember
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_AU
           
Unionized Employees Concentration Risk [Member] | Workforce Subject to Collective Bargaining Arrangements [Member] | South Africa              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unionized workforce participation 93.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByBenchmarkAxis
= us-gaap_WorkforceSubjectToCollectiveBargainingArrangementsMember
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByTypeAxis
= us-gaap_UnionizedEmployeesConcentrationRiskMember
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_ZA
           
Unionized Employees Concentration Risk [Member] | Workforce Subject to Collective Bargaining Arrangements [Member] | Ghana              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unionized workforce participation 96.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByBenchmarkAxis
= us-gaap_WorkforceSubjectToCollectiveBargainingArrangementsMember
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByTypeAxis
= us-gaap_UnionizedEmployeesConcentrationRiskMember
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_GH