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Investments (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015 securities	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014 securities
Investment Narrative [Line Items]
Other than Temporary Impairment, Credit Losses Recognized in Earnings, Credit Losses on Debt Securities Held	$ 7,300,000us-gaap_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentCreditLossesRecognizedInEarningsCreditLossesOnDebtSecuritiesHeld	$ 11,700,000us-gaap_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentCreditLossesRecognizedInEarningsCreditLossesOnDebtSecuritiesHeld
Policy Loans Percent Of Total Investments	3.50%rga_PolicyLoansPercentOfTotalInvestments		3.50%rga_PolicyLoansPercentOfTotalInvestments
Mortgage Loan To Value Ratio on Approval	75.00%rga_MortgageLoanToValueRatioOnApproval
Mortgage Loan Percent Of Cash And Invested Assets	7.80%rga_MortgageLoanPercentOfCashAndInvestedAssets		7.40%rga_MortgageLoanPercentOfCashAndInvestedAssets
Proceeds From Sale Of Available For Sale Securities Sold At Loss	199,600,000rga_ProceedsFromSaleOfAvailableForSaleSecuritiesSoldAtLoss	235,100,000rga_ProceedsFromSaleOfAvailableForSaleSecuritiesSoldAtLoss
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Realized Losses	13,596,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesGrossRealizedLosses	6,583,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesGrossRealizedLosses
Available-for-sale, Securities in Unrealized Loss Positions, Qualitative Disclosure, Number of Positions	687us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesInUnrealizedLossPositionsQualitativeDisclosureNumberOfPositions1		932us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesInUnrealizedLossPositionsQualitativeDisclosureNumberOfPositions1
Securities As Percentage Of Consolidated Stockholder Equity	10.00%rga_SecuritiesAsPercentageOfConsolidatedStockholderEquity
Securities Borrowed Or Pledged, Minimum Fair Value Percentage	100.00%rga_SecuritiesBorrowedOrPledgedMinimumFairValuePercentage
Minimum Collateral Balance of Cash Received Fair Value	105.00%rga_MinimumCollateralBalanceofCashReceivedFairValue
Collateral Obtained Percent Of Fair Value Reverse Repurchase Agreements	100.00%rga_CollateralObtainedPercentOfFairValueReverseRepurchaseAgreements
Mortgage Loans On Real Estate Commercial And Consumer Net Percentage Of Total	100.00%rga_MortgageLoansOnRealEstateCommercialAndConsumerNetPercentageOfTotal		100.00%rga_MortgageLoansOnRealEstateCommercialAndConsumerNetPercentageOfTotal
Funds Withheld At Interest Percent Of Total Investments	15.70%rga_FundsWithheldAtInterestPercentOfTotalInvestments		16.10%rga_FundsWithheldAtInterestPercentOfTotalInvestments
Funds withheld at interest	5,841,554,000us-gaap_FundsHeldUnderReinsuranceAgreementsAsset		5,922,561,000us-gaap_FundsHeldUnderReinsuranceAgreementsAsset
Funds Held Under Reinsurance Agreements Asset Specific Client	4,200,000,000rga_FundsHeldUnderReinsuranceAgreementsAssetSpecificClient
Other Invested Assets Percent Of Cash And Invested Assets	3.30%rga_OtherInvestedAssetsPercentOfCashAndInvestedAssets		3.30%rga_OtherInvestedAssetsPercentOfCashAndInvestedAssets
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase, Repurchase Liability	101,700,000us-gaap_AssetsSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseRepurchaseLiability		101,400,000us-gaap_AssetsSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseRepurchaseLiability
Securities Sold under Agreements to Repurchase, Fair Value of Collateral	108,268,000us-gaap_SecuritiesSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseFairValueOfCollateral		107,158,000us-gaap_SecuritiesSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseFairValueOfCollateral
Repurchase Agreement Counterparty, Amount at Risk	6,600,000us-gaap_RepurchaseAgreementCounterpartyAmountAtRisk		5,800,000us-gaap_RepurchaseAgreementCounterpartyAmountAtRisk
Investment in mortgage loans
Investment Narrative [Line Items]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Equal to Greater than 90 Days Past Due	$ 0us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentEqualToGreaterThan90DaysPastDue / us-gaap_AccountsNotesLoansAndFinancingReceivableByReceivableTypeAxis = us-gaap_MortgageReceivablesMember		$ 0us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentEqualToGreaterThan90DaysPastDue / us-gaap_AccountsNotesLoansAndFinancingReceivableByReceivableTypeAxis = us-gaap_MortgageReceivablesMember
CALIFORNIA
Investment Narrative [Line Items]
Mortgage Loans On Real Estate Commercial And Consumer Net Percentage Of Total	20.30%rga_MortgageLoansOnRealEstateCommercialAndConsumerNetPercentageOfTotal / invest_InvestmentGeographicRegionAxis = stpr_CA		18.70%rga_MortgageLoansOnRealEstateCommercialAndConsumerNetPercentageOfTotal / invest_InvestmentGeographicRegionAxis = stpr_CA

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- Definition

Collateral Obtained Percent Of Fair Value Reverse Repurchase Agreements

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Funds Withheld At Interest concentrated with one client.

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Funds Withheld At Interest As A Percentage Of Total Investments

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The required minimum percentage fair value collateral balance that the Company must maintain of the cash received in repurchase programs in which securities are pledged to a third party.

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Mortgage Loans as a Percent Of total Cash And Invested Assets

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The amount represents the total percentage of each property type in comparison to the total of mortgage loans whose balance represents the amount of loans that are secured by real estate mortgages, offset by the reserve to cover probable credit losses on the loan portfolio.

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- Definition

The maximum loan-to-value ratio at the time of mortgage loan approval.

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Other Invested Assets as a Percent Of total Cash And Invested Assets

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Policy Loans as a percentage of total investments.

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- Definition

The cash inflow associated with the sale of debt and equity securities classified as available-for-sale securities.

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Securities as percentage of consolidated stockholder equity.

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Securities Borrowed Or Pledged, Minimum Fair Value Percentage

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Amount to be repaid to the counterparty to the repurchase agreement when the carrying amount (or market value, if higher than the carrying amount) of securities or other assets sold under the repurchase agreement exceeds 10 percent of total assets.

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

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-Number 210

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This item represents the gross loss realized on the sale of debt or equity securities categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor trading securities.

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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Number of investment positions in available-for-sale investments in a continuous unrealized loss position for which an other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) has not been recognized in the income statement.

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Financing receivables that are equal to or greater than 90 days past due.

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Amount of the reinsurer's funds held on its behalf by the ceding insurer, including funds held in trust, under reinsurance treaties or contracts with the assuming insurer as security for the payment of the obligations thereunder.

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The cumulative amount of credit losses recognized in earnings related to debt securities held for which a portion of an other than temporary impairment (OTTI) was recognized in other comprehensive income (a component of shareholders' equity).

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The amount at risk under repurchase agreements is defined as the excess of carrying amount (or market value, if higher than the carrying amount or if there is no carrying amount) of the securities or other assets sold under agreement to repurchase, including accrued interest plus any cash or other assets on deposit to secure the repurchase obligation, over the amount of the repurchase liability (adjusted for accrued interest).

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Fair value of securities pledged as collateral against securities sold under agreement to repurchase.

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