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Valuation Allowance for Deferred Tax Assets (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Valuation Allowance [Line Items]
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	$ 386.8us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance	$ 330.2us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance
Orogen Investments SA (Luxembourg)
Valuation Allowance [Line Items]
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	36.8us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance / dei_LegalEntityAxis = gfi_OrogenInvestmentSaLuxembourgMember	41.0us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance / dei_LegalEntityAxis = gfi_OrogenInvestmentSaLuxembourgMember
Gold Fields Arctic Platinum Oy
Valuation Allowance [Line Items]
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	18.3us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance / dei_LegalEntityAxis = gfi_GoldFieldsArcticPlatinumOyMember	23.2us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance / dei_LegalEntityAxis = gfi_GoldFieldsArcticPlatinumOyMember
GFI Joint Venture Holdings
Valuation Allowance [Line Items]
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	305.3us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance / dei_LegalEntityAxis = gfi_GfiJointVenturesHoldingPtyLimitedMember	266.0us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance / dei_LegalEntityAxis = gfi_GfiJointVenturesHoldingPtyLimitedMember
Gold Fields Operations
Valuation Allowance [Line Items]
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	$ 26.4us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance / dei_LegalEntityAxis = gfi_GoldFieldsOperationsMember

X

- Definition

Amount of deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 740

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (c)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32537-109319

+ Details

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