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Dividends - Summary of dividends paid (Detail) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, $ in Millions
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Dec. 31, 2019
Dec. 31, 2018
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items]      
Dividends paid during the year $ 6,132 $ 10,334 $ 5,356
Dividends per share: paid during the year (in usd per share) $ 3.860 $ 6.350 $ 3.070
Final Dividends      
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items]      
Final dividends per share: proposed in the announcement of the results for the year (in usd per share) 3.090 2.310 1.800
Special Dividends      
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items]      
Final dividends per share: proposed in the announcement of the results for the year (in usd per share) $ 0.930 $ 0 $ 2.430
Rio Tinto plc | Final Dividends      
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items]      
Previous year final dividend paid $ 2,783 $ 2,245 $ 2,446
Interim dividend paid 1,937 1,930 1,666
Rio Tinto plc | Special Dividends      
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items]      
Previous year final dividend paid 0 3,032 0
Interim dividend paid 0 780 0
Rio Tinto Limited | Final Dividends      
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items]      
Previous year final dividend paid 857 666 731
Interim dividend paid 555 556 513
Rio Tinto Limited | Special Dividends      
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items]      
Previous year final dividend paid 0 900 0
Interim dividend paid $ 0 $ 225 $ 0