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Employees - Additional Information (Detail) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2018 GBP (£) | Dec. 31, 2017 EUR (€) Sk | Dec. 31, 2017 GBP (£) | Dec. 31, 2016 EUR (€)
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Defined benefit liabilities |  | 13.00% | 13.00% |
Actual return on plan assets |  | € 2,015,000,000 |  | € 2,541,000,000
Actual return on plan assets |  | 1,475,000,000 |  |
Interest income |  | 540,000,000 |  |
Property occupied by Unilever |  | € 1,467,000,000 |  | 1,461,000,000
Pension Liabilities [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Defined benefit liabilities |  | 96.00% | 96.00% |
Special benefits trust [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Excluded plan assets |  | € 63,000,000 |  | 79,000,000
Escrow [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Excluded plan assets |  |  |  | 68,000,000
Unilever [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Equity securities |  | 14,000,000 |  | 12,000,000
Property occupied by Unilever |  | € 32,000,000 |  | € 34,000,000
Percentage of plan assets in equity securities |  | 0.10% |  | 0.10%
United Kingdom [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Percentage of long term trend future improvements |  | 1.00% | 1.00% |
2016 CMI core projections (Sk) | Sk |  | 7.5 |  |
United Kingdom [member] | Interest Rate Risk [Member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Degree of hedging of liabilities, percentage |  | 45.00% | 45.00% | 35.00%
Netherlands [member] | Interest Rate Risk [Member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Degree of hedging of liabilities, percentage |  | 30.00% | 30.00% | 35.00%
Defined benefit plans [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Current estimated group employer contributions, payable in 2017 excluding UK pension fund deficit contributions | £ | £ 0 |  | £ 600,000,000 |
Other post-employment benefit plans [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Period of level of medical cost inflation |  | 5 years | 5 years |
Other post-employment benefit plans [member] | Bottom of range [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Rate of level of medical cost inflation |  | 7.00% |  |
Liabilities [member] |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Pension Plans [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Defined benefit liabilities |  | 85.00% | 85.00% |

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- Definition Medical cost trend rate used as significant actuarial assumption to determine the present value of a defined benefit obligation. [Refer: Defined benefit obligation, at present value; Actuarial assumptions [member]] + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef -Name IAS -Number 19 -IssueDate 2016-01-13 -Paragraph 144 -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=19&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_144&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2016-03-31 + Details
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- Definition The amount of employer contributions to retirement benefit plans. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name IAS -Number 26 -IssueDate 2016-01-13 -Paragraph 35 -Subparagraph b -Clause i -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=26&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_35_b_i&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2016-03-31 + Details
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- Definition The amount of instruments held by the entity that provide evidence of a residual interest in the assets of another entity after deducting all of its liabilities. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef -Name IAS -Number 1 -IssueDate 2016-01-13 -Paragraph 55 -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=1&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_55&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2016-03-31 + Details
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- Definition The amount that real estate constitutes of the fair value of defined benefit plan assets. [Refer: Plan assets, at fair value; Defined benefit plans [member]] + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef -Name IAS -Number 19 -IssueDate 2016-01-13 -Paragraph 142 -Subparagraph d -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=19&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_142_d&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2016-03-31 + Details
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- Definition Defined Benefit Plans As A Percentage Of Pension Liabilities + References No definition available. + Details
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