INVESTMENT IN ASSOCIATES AND JOINT VENTURES - Cash Flows Impact of Investments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	$ 1,481	$ 753	$ 632
Cash used by investing activities	(5,721)	(1,058)	(2,346)
Cash from financing activities	3,814	899	1,764
Change during the year	(426)	594	50
Associates and Joint Ventures
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	2,033	1,504	1,282
Cash used by investing activities	(2,883)	(2,591)	(1,932)
Cash from financing activities	1,485	880	405
Change during the year	635	(207)	(245)
Other Ownership Interests	519	(177)	(163)
Partnership's Share	116	(30)	(82)
Brazilian toll roads
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	345	249	194
Cash used by investing activities	(1,046)	(491)	(534)
Cash from financing activities	800	212	59
Change during the year	99	(30)	(281)
Other Ownership Interests	57	(19)	(194)
Partnership's Share	42	(11)	(87)
North American natural gas transmission operation
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	258	163	98
Cash used by investing activities	(169)	(170)	(157)
Cash from financing activities	(79)	2	10
Change during the year	10	(5)	(49)
Other Ownership Interests	5	(2)	(32)
Partnership's Share	5	(3)	(17)
Chilean electricity transmission operation
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	256	273	274
Cash used by investing activities	(240)	(207)	(122)
Cash from financing activities	14	(27)	(197)
Change during the year	30	39	(45)
Other Ownership Interests	22	28	(32)
Partnership's Share	8	11	(13)
European telecommunications infrastructure operation
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	338	325	253
Cash used by investing activities	(226)	(323)	(101)
Cash from financing activities	(58)	(83)	(19)
Change during the year	54	(81)	133
Other Ownership Interests	43	(64)	106
Partnership's Share	11	(17)	27
Brazilian rail business
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	472	337	309
Cash used by investing activities	(458)	(780)	(929)
Cash from financing activities	292	272	588
Change during the year	306	(171)	(32)
Other Ownership Interests	272	(152)	(29)
Partnership's Share	34	(19)	(3)
Australian port operation
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	80	15
Cash used by investing activities	(15)	(391)
Cash from financing activities	(22)	433
Change during the year	43	57
Other Ownership Interests	40	47
Partnership's Share	3	10
Other
Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Line Items]
Cash from operating activities	284	142	154
Cash used by investing activities	(729)	(229)	(89)
Cash from financing activities	538	71	(36)
Change during the year	93	(16)	29
Other Ownership Interests	80	(15)	18
Partnership's Share	$ 13	$ (1)	$ 11

[Line Items] for Disclosure Of Associates And Joint Ventures [Table]

No definition available.

Name:	bip_DisclosureOfAssociatesAndJointVenturesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	bip_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents before effect of exchange rate changes, Portion Attributable to Other Ownership Interests

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bip_IncreasedecreaseincashandcashequivalentsbeforeeffectofexchangeratechangesPortionAttributabletoOtherOwnershipInterests
Namespace Prefix:	bip_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents before effect of exchange rate changes, Portion Attributable to Partnership's share

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bip_IncreasedecreaseincashandcashequivalentsbeforeeffectofexchangeratechangesPortionAttributabletoPartnershipsshare
Namespace Prefix:	bip_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The cash flows from (used in) financing activities, which are activities that result in changes in the size and composition of the contributed equity and borrowings of the entity.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IAS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2017-01-01
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=7&date=2017-03-01&anchor=para_10&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2017-03-09

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IAS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2017-01-01
-Paragraph 50
-Subparagraph d
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=7&date=2017-03-01&anchor=para_50_d&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2017-03-09

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_CashFlowsFromUsedInFinancingActivities
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The cash flows from (used in) investing activities, which are the acquisition and disposal of long-term assets and other investments not included in cash equivalents.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_CashFlowsFromUsedInInvestingActivities
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The cash flows from (used in) operating activities, which are the principal revenue-producing activities of the entity and other activities that are not investing or financing activities. [Refer: Revenue]

+ References

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_CashFlowsFromUsedInOperatingActivities
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents before the effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents held in foreign currencies. [Refer: Cash and cash equivalents; Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IAS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2017-01-01
-Paragraph 45
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=7&date=2017-03-01&anchor=para_45&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2017-03-09

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_IncreaseDecreaseInCashAndCashEquivalentsBeforeEffectOfExchangeRateChanges
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesAxis=bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesAxis=bip_BrazilianTollRoadMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesAxis=bip_NorthAmericanNaturalGasTransmissionOperationMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesAxis=bip_ChileanelectricitytransmissionoperationMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesAxis=bip_EuropeanTelecommunicationsInfrastructureOperationsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesAxis=bip_BrazillianRailBusinessMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesAxis=bip_AustralianPortsOperationMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bip_AssociatesAndJointVenturesAxis=bip_AggregatedIndividuallyImmaterialAssociatesAndJointVenturesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: