v3.8.0.1

Short-Term and Long-Term Debt (Narrative) (Details) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands			1 Months Ended						3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended				36 Months Ended
		Feb. 18, 2015 USD ($)	Nov. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 30, 2013 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2009 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2017 JPY (¥) shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2017 JPY (¥)	Sep. 18, 2014 $ / shares
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt									$ 17,172,000,000	$ 18,041,000,000	$ 17,172,000,000		$ 18,041,000,000
Interest expense											1,327,000,000		1,320,000,000	$ 1,306,000,000
Other long-term investments	[1]								12,308,000,000	11,283,000,000	$ 12,308,000,000		$ 11,283,000,000
Exchangeable Surplus Notes (in shares) | shares											5,800	5,800	5,700	5,500
Payment for Debt Extinguishment or Debt Prepayment Cost													$ 36,000,000
Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt									15,304,000,000	15,389,000,000	$ 15,304,000,000		15,389,000,000
Interest expense											1,057,000,000		1,106,000,000	$ 1,080,000,000
Minimum statutory consolidated net worth									$ 20,958,000,000		$ 20,958,000,000
Assets Under Set Off Arrangements			$ 1,000,000,000
Prudential Insurance | Federal Home Loan Bank of New York
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Purchase requirement activity-based stock of the outstanding borrowings									4.50%		4.50%					4.50%
Debt Instrument, Term Upon Certain Events											90 days	90 days
Other long-term investments									$ 49,000,000	78,000,000	$ 49,000,000		78,000,000
Pledge collateral of prior year-end statutory net admitted assets									5.00%		5.00%					5.00%
Maximum amount of pledged asset									$ 6,200,000,000		$ 6,200,000,000
Fair value of pledged assets supporting outstanding agreements									800,000,000		800,000,000
Collateralized agreements									400,000,000		400,000,000
Assets not pledged fair value									6,900,000,000		6,900,000,000
Outstanding amount of notes									0		0
Debt Instrument, Unused Borrowing Capacity, Amount									5,300,000,000		5,300,000,000
PRIAC | Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Other long-term investments									10,000,000	$ 10,000,000	10,000,000		$ 10,000,000
Outstanding amount of notes									0		0
Debt Instrument, Unused Borrowing Capacity, Amount									231,000,000		231,000,000
Prudential Financial and Prudential Funding
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capacity									4,000,000,000		$ 4,000,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Expiration Period											5 years	5 years
Proceeds from Lines of Credit											$ 0
Prudential Holdings of Japan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capacity | ¥																¥ 100,000,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Expiration Period											3 years	3 years
Proceeds from Lines of Credit | ¥												¥ 0
Captive Reinsurance Subsidiary
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average maturity of outstanding commercial paper, in days						20 years
Other Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capacity									$ 823,000,000		$ 823,000,000
Assets Under Set Off Arrangements			2,200,000,000
PLIC
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average maturity of outstanding commercial paper, in days		20 years
Future Debt Instrument Authorized		$ 4,000,000,000
Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate									5.10%		5.10%					5.10%
Minimum | PRIAC | Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Purchase requirement activity-based stock of the outstanding borrowings									3.00%		3.00%					3.00%
Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate									6.63%		6.63%					6.63%
Maximum | PRIAC | Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Purchase requirement activity-based stock of the outstanding borrowings									4.50%		4.50%					4.50%
Term-out option | Prudential Holdings of Japan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Expiration Period											2 years	2 years
Commercial paper
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average maturity of outstanding commercial paper, in days											22 days	22 days	21 days
Commercial paper | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Authorized									$ 3,000,000,000		$ 3,000,000,000
Commercial paper | Prudential Funding, LLC
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Authorized									7,000,000,000		7,000,000,000
Collateral | Other Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Assets Under Set Off Arrangements			$ 300,000,000
Real estate separate accounts | Other Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capacity									$ 755,000,000		755,000,000
Proceeds from Lines of Credit											$ 462,000,000
Put Option | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term of contract							10 years
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate									1.777%		1.777%					1.777%
Derivative, Time To Cure							30 days
Minimum Equity Less AOCI For Automatic Exercise									$ 7,000,000,000		$ 7,000,000,000
Private Placement | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 1,500,000,000
Interest Rate							4.419%
Senior notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 1,900,000,000		$ 1,900,000,000
Interest Rate									5.90%		5.90%					5.90%
Long-term Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate, at Point in Time									5.22%	5.54%	5.22%		5.54%			5.22%
Senior notes | Maturing in 2049
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 1,000,000,000		$ 1,000,000,000
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate									3.94%		3.94%					3.94%
Senior notes | Maturing in 2047
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 900,000,000		$ 900,000,000
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate									3.91%		3.91%					3.91%
Medium Term Note
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Authorized									$ 20,000,000,000		$ 20,000,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									1,500,000,000		1,500,000,000
Outstanding amount of notes									7,600,000,000		7,600,000,000
Increase (decrease) in debt											(2,000,000,000)
Maturities of Senior Debt											470,000,000
Retail Medium Term Note
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Authorized									5,000,000,000		5,000,000,000
Outstanding amount of notes									454,000,000		454,000,000
Asset-backed securities
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Assets Under Set Off Arrangements										$ 500,000,000			$ 500,000,000
Derivative Financial Instruments, Liabilities
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Expense, Debt											3,000,000		5,000,000	7,000,000
Current And Long Term Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Expense, Debt											1,334,000,000		1,324,000,000	1,328,000,000
Net investment income
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Expense, Debt										11,000,000	15,000,000		11,000,000	11,000,000
Junior subordinated debt | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt									$ 6,566,000,000	5,817,000,000	$ 6,566,000,000		5,817,000,000
Junior subordinated debt | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Deferral Period											5 years	5 years
Junior subordinated debt | Minimum | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									4.50%		4.50%					4.50%
Junior subordinated debt | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Deferral Period											10 years	10 years
Junior subordinated debt | Maximum | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									8.88%		8.88%					8.88%
Limited Recourse Note
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount										500,000,000			500,000,000
Junior Subordinated Institutional Notes June 2008
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 600,000,000		$ 600,000,000
Interest Rate									8.88%		8.88%					8.88%
Regulation XXX | Surplus notes | Captive Reinsurance Subsidiary
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Authorized										1,750,000,000			1,750,000,000
Capacity									$ 2,400,000,000		$ 2,400,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									2,500,000,000		2,500,000,000
Outstanding amount of notes									$ 2,100,000,000		2,100,000,000
Weighted average maturity of outstanding commercial paper, in days			17 years		10 years				20 years
Regulation XXX | Surplus notes | Captive Reinsurance Subsidiary | Twenty-year term
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Authorized									$ 650,000,000		650,000,000
Regulation XXX | Surplus notes subject to set-off arrangements | Captive Reinsurance Subsidiary
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Authorized					$ 2,000,000,000
Outstanding amount of notes									1,750,000,000		1,750,000,000
Weighted average maturity of outstanding commercial paper, in days															10 years
Regulation XXX | Senior notes | Captive Reinsurance Subsidiary
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of Debt									500,000,000
Guideline AXXX | Surplus notes subject to set-off arrangements | Captive Reinsurance Subsidiary
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding amount of notes									2,880,000,000		2,880,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity									3,500,000,000		3,500,000,000
Future Debt Instrument Authorized									4,500,000,000		4,500,000,000
Guideline AXXX | Floating Rate Debt Surplus Notes Subject To Set Off Arrangement | Captive Reinsurance Subsidiary
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Authorized				$ 1,000,000,000
Estimated maximum borrowing capacity, after taking into account applicable required collateralization levels and required purchases of activity based stock									560,000,000		560,000,000
Surplus notes principal amount, for each									500,000,000		500,000,000
Weighted average maturity of outstanding commercial paper, in days				20 years
Investment Real Estate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Other long-term investments									1,218,000,000	1,291,000,000	1,218,000,000		1,291,000,000
Derivatives | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense											1,000,000		2,000,000	$ 3,000,000
Fixed rate | Senior notes | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt									$ 8,709,000,000	9,064,000,000	$ 8,709,000,000		9,064,000,000
Fixed rate | Senior notes | Minimum | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									2.35%		2.35%					2.35%
Fixed rate | Senior notes | Maximum | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									7.38%		7.38%					7.38%
Floating rate debt | Surplus notes | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt									$ 840,000,000		$ 840,000,000
Floating rate debt | Senior notes | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt									$ 29,000,000	508,000,000	$ 29,000,000		508,000,000
Floating rate debt | Senior notes | Minimum | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									3.46%		3.46%					3.46%
Floating rate debt | Senior notes | Maximum | Prudential Financial
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									5.49%		5.49%					5.49%
Senior notes | Investment Real Estate | Mortgages
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 226,000,000		$ 226,000,000
Long-term Debt									799,000,000	659,000,000	799,000,000		659,000,000
Increase (decrease) in debt											140,000,000
Maturities of Senior Debt									73,000,000
Debt Instrument, Translation Adjustment											28,000,000
Repayments of Senior Debt									41,000,000
Senior notes | Fixed rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt									$ 8,882,000,000	9,236,000,000	$ 8,882,000,000		9,236,000,000
Senior notes | Fixed rate | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									2.30%		2.30%					2.30%
Senior notes | Fixed rate | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									11.31%		11.31%					11.31%
Senior notes | Floating rate debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt									$ 29,000,000	$ 1,063,000,000	$ 29,000,000		$ 1,063,000,000
Senior notes | Floating rate debt | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									1.69%		1.69%					1.69%
Senior notes | Floating rate debt | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate									5.49%		5.49%					5.49%
Long-term debt | Exhangeable Surplus Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Surplus notes principal amount, for each								$ 1,000	$ 1,000		$ 1,000
Exchangeable Surplus Notes (in shares) | shares								5,100			5,880	5,880
Exchange price of common stock, per share | $ / shares								$ 98.78	$ 85.00		$ 85.00						$ 102.62
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 500,000,000
Interest Rate								5.36%
Accelerated Share Repurchases, Initial Price Paid Per Share | $ / shares									$ 45.79
Exchangeable Debt Threshold Percentage Amount Of Total Consideration Which Consisting Of Cash Other Property Securities Not Listed On Exchange Will Trigger Make Whole Increase								10.00%
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Ratio								10.1235			11.7643	11.7643
Long-term debt | Fixed rate | Exhangeable Surplus Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 500,000,000
[1] See Note 5 for details of balances associated with variable interest entities.

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The price paid per share to immediately purchase the targeted number of shares on the date of executing the accelerated share repurchase agreement.

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