Employee Benefit Plans (Expected Benefit Payments for Company's Pension and Postretirement Plans as well as Expected Medicare Part D Subsidy Receipts Related to Postretirement Plan) (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Pension Benefits
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
2018	$ 789
2019	849
2020	803
2021	827
2022	866
2023-2027	4,534
Total	8,668
Other Postretirement Benefits
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
2018	149
2019	152
2020	154
2021	155
2022	155
2023-2027	766
Total	1,531
Other Postretirement Benefits– Medicare Part D Subsidy Receipts
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
2018	10
2019	10
2020	10
2021	11
2022	11
2023-2027	59
Total	$ 111

Employee Benefit Plans (Expected Benefit Payments for Company's Pension and Postretirement Plans as well as Expected Medicare Part D Subsidy Receipts Related to Postretirement Plan) (Details)
$ in Millions

Dec. 31, 2017

USD ($)

Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]

$ 789

849

803

827

866

4,534

8,668

Other Postretirement Benefits

Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]

149

152

154

155

155

766

1,531

Other Postretirement Benefits– Medicare Part D Subsidy Receipts

Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]

$ 111

The aggregate amount of benefits expected to be paid in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth fiscal years and the five fiscal years after the fifth fiscal year following the latest fiscal year from a defined benefit plan

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pru_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedFutureBenefitPayments
Namespace Prefix:	pru_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The aggregate amount of the prescription drug subsidy receipts to be received in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth fiscal years and after the fifth fiscal year following the latest fiscal year.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pru_PrescriptionDrugSubsidyReceipts
Namespace Prefix:	pru_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanDisclosureLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of benefits for defined benefit plan expected to be paid in five fiscal years after fifth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedFutureBenefitPaymentsFiveFiscalYearsThereafter
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of benefits for defined benefit plan expected to be paid in next fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedFutureBenefitPaymentsNextTwelveMonths
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of benefits for defined benefit plan expected to be paid in fifth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedFutureBenefitPaymentsYearFive
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of benefits for defined benefit plan expected to be paid in fourth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedFutureBenefitPaymentsYearFour
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of benefits for defined benefit plan expected to be paid in third fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedFutureBenefitPaymentsYearThree
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of benefits for defined benefit plan expected to be paid in second fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedFutureBenefitPaymentsYearTwo
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of prescription drug subsidy receipts expected after fifth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 60
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6414203&loc=d3e39716-114964

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (f)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82843861&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PrescriptionDrugSubsidyReceiptsAfterYearFive
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of prescription drug subsidy receipts expected in next fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (f)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82843861&loc=d3e1928-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 60
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6414203&loc=d3e39716-114964

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PrescriptionDrugSubsidyReceiptsNextTwelveMonths
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of prescription drug subsidy receipts expected in fifth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PrescriptionDrugSubsidyReceiptsYearFive1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of prescription drug subsidy receipts expected in fourth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PrescriptionDrugSubsidyReceiptsYearFour1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of prescription drug subsidy receipts expected in third fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PrescriptionDrugSubsidyReceiptsYearThree1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of prescription drug subsidy receipts expected in second fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PrescriptionDrugSubsidyReceiptsYearTwo1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RetirementPlanTypeAxis=us-gaap_PensionPlansDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RetirementPlanTypeAxis=us-gaap_OtherPostretirementBenefitPlansDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RetirementPlanTypeAxis=pru_MedicarePartDMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: