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PROFUND VP PHARMACEUTICALS  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading PROFUND VP PHARMACEUTICALS
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

ProFund VP Pharmaceuticals (the “Fund”) seeks investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select PharmaceuticalsSM Index (the “Index”).
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy or hold shares of the Fund. The expenses shown do not reflect charges or fees associated with insurance company separate accounts or insurance contracts, which would have the effect of increasing overall expenses. Annuity and policy holders should consult the prospectus for their contract or policy for more information about such charges and fees.
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination Apr. 30, 2019
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example above, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s annual portfolio turnover rate was 219% of the average value of its entire portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 219.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example:
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.


The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of each period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same, except that the fee waiver/expense reimbursement is assumed only to pertain to the first year. It does not reflect separate account or insurance contract fees or charges. If these charges were reflected, expenses would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your approximate costs would be:
Expense Example Closing [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleClosingTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs associated with the purchase and sale of securities. These costs are not reflected in the table or the example above.
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund invests in equity securities that ProFund Advisors believes, in combination, should have similar return characteristics as the return of the Index. The Index measures the performance of the pharmaceuticals sector of the U.S. equity market. Component companies include, among others, manufacturers of prescription or over-the-counter drugs. The Index includes vaccine producers, but excludes vitamin producers. As of July 31, 2018, the Index included companies with capitalizations between $408 million and $355.4 billion. The average capitalization of the companies comprising the Index was approximately $27.3 billion. The Index is published under the Bloomberg ticker symbol “DJSPHM.”


As of July 31, 2018, the Index was concentrated in the telecommunications, information technology and consumer discretionary industry groups.


The securities that the Fund will principally invest in are set forth below.


·    Equity Securities — The Fund invests in common stock issued by public companies.


ProFund Advisors uses a mathematical approach to investing. Using this approach, ProFund Advisors determines the type, quantity and mix of investment positions that the Fund should hold to approximate the performance of the Index. The Fund may invest in or gain exposure to only a representative sample of the securities in the Index or to securities not contained in the Index, with the intent of obtaining exposure with aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index. ProFund Advisors does not invest the assets of the Fund in securities based on ProFund Advisors’ view of the investment merit of a particular security, instrument, or company, nor does it conduct conventional investment research or analysis or forecast market movement or trends, in managing the assets of the Fund. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times in securities that, in combination, provide exposure to the Index without regard to market conditions, trends or direction.


The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. As of the close of business on December 31, 2017, the Index was concentrated in the health care industry group.


Please see “Investment Objectives, Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks” in the back of the Fund’s Full Prospectus for additional details.
Strategy Portfolio Concentration [Text] rr_StrategyPortfolioConcentration The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. As of the close of business on December 31, 2017, the Index was concentrated in the health care industry group.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

You could lose money by investing in the Fund.


Active Investor Risk — The Fund permits short-term trading of its securities. A significant portion of assets invested in the Fund come from professional money managers and investors who use the Fund as part of active trading or tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies often call for frequent trading to take advantage of anticipated changes in market conditions, which could increase portfolio turnover and may result in additional costs for the Fund. In addition, large movements of assets into and out of the Fund may have a negative impact on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective or maintain a consistent level of operating expenses. In certain circumstances, the Fund’s expense ratio may vary from current estimates or the historical ratio disclosed in this Prospectus.


Correlation Risk — A number of factors may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Fund’s correlation with the Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities in which the Fund invests. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the Index. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, comply with regulatory restrictions, or for other reasons, each of which may negatively affect the Fund’s correlation with the Index. The Fund may also be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the Index and may be impacted by Index reconstitutions and Index rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the Index and may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective.


Early Close/Late Close/Trading Halt Risk — An exchange or market may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.


Equity and Market Risk — The equity markets are volatile, and the value of securities and other instruments correlated with the equity markets may fluctuate dramatically from day-to-day. Equity markets are subject to corporate, political, regulatory, market and economic developments, as well as developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Further, stocks in the Index may underperform other equity investments. Volatility in the markets and/or market developments may cause the value of an investment in the Fund to decrease over short or long periods of time.


Health Care Industry Risk — The Fund is subject to risks faced by companies in the healthcare industry to the same extent as the Index is so concentrated, including: heavy dependence on patent protection, with profitability affected by the expiration of patents; expenses and losses from extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims; competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting; the long and costly process for obtaining new product approval by the Food and Drug Administration; the difficulty healthcare providers may have obtaining staff to deliver service; susceptibility to product obsolescence; and thin capitalization and limited product lines, markets and financial resources or personnel. The Fund is also subject to risks faced by companies in the biotechnology industry group to the same extent as the Index is so concentrated.


Index Performance Risk — The Fund is linked to an Index maintained by a third party provider unaffiliated with the Fund or the Advisor. There can be no guarantee or assurance that the methodology used by the third party provider to create the Index will result in the Fund achieving high, or even positive, returns. Further, there can be no guarantee that the methodology underlying the Index or the daily calculation of the Index will be free from error. It is also possible that the value of the Index may be subject to intentional manipulation by third-party market participants. The particular Index used by the Fund may underperform other asset classes and may underperform other similar indices. Each of these factors could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund.


Large-Cap Company Investment Risk — The Index and, by extension, the Fund are exposed to stocks of large-cap companies. Although returns on investments in large-cap companies are often perceived as being less volatile than the returns of companies with smaller market capitalizations, the return on large-cap securities could trail the returns on investments in smaller and midsized companies for a number of reasons. For example, large-cap companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies.


Liquidity Risk — In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the securities in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of ProFund Advisors. Markets for the securities in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, natural disasters, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. For example, regulation limiting the ability of certain financial institutions to invest in certain securities would likely reduce the liquidity of those securities. These situations may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index.


Non-Diversification Risk — The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), and has the ability to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers susceptible to a single economic, political or regulatory event. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and could cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance. This risk may be particularly acute if the Index is comprised of a small number of securities. Notwithstanding the Fund’s status as a “non-diversified” investment company under the 1940 Act, the Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (“RIC”) accorded special tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code, which imposes its own diversification requirements that are less restrictive than the requirements applicable to “diversified” investment companies under the 1940 Act.


Pharmaceuticals Industry Risk — The Fund is subject to the risks faced by companies in the pharmaceuticals economic industry including: securities prices may fluctuate widely due to government regulation and approval of products and services, which can have a significant effect on their price and availability; heavy spending on research and development for products and services that may not prove commercially successful or may become obsolete quickly; liability for products that are later alleged to be harmful or unsafe may be substantial, which may have a significant impact on market value and/or securities prices; adverse effects from world events and economic conditions; and market, economic and political risks of the countries where pharmaceutical companies are located or do business. The pharmaceuticals sector may also be affected by risks that affect the broader health care industry, including: heavy dependence on patent protection, with profitability affected by the expiration of patents; competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounts; and thin capitalization and limited product lines, markets and financial sources or personnel.


Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund’s strategy may involve high portfolio turnover to manage the Fund’s investment exposure. Additionally, active trading of the Fund’s shares may cause more frequent purchase and sales activities that could, in certain circumstances, increase the number of portfolio transactions. High levels of transactions increase brokerage and other transaction costs.


Tax Risk — In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded a RIC and its shareholders, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from “qualifying income,” meet certain asset diversification tests at the end of each taxable quarter, and meet annual distribution requirements. The Fund’s pursuit of its investment strategies will potentially be limited by the Fund’s intention to qualify for such treatment and could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to so qualify. The Fund can make certain investments, the treatment of which for these purposes is unclear. If, in any year, the Fund were to fail to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded a RIC and its shareholders, and were ineligible to or were not to cure such failure, the Fund would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation subject to U.S. federal income tax on all its income at the fund level. The resulting taxes could substantially reduce the Fund’s net assets and the amount of income available for distribution. In addition, in order to requalify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make certain distributions. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for more information.


Valuation Risk — In certain circumstances, portfolio securities may be valued using techniques other than market quotations. The value established for a portfolio security may be different from what would be produced through the use of another methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio securities that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their value from one day to the next than would be the case if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell a portfolio security for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio security is sold at a discount to its established value.


Please see “Investment Objectives, Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks” in the back of the Fund’s Full Prospectus for additional details.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney You could lose money by investing in the Fund.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), and has the ability to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers susceptible to a single economic, political or regulatory event. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and could cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance. This risk may be particularly acute if the Index is comprised of a small number of securities. Notwithstanding the Fund’s status as a “non-diversified” investment company under the 1940 Act, the Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (“RIC”) accorded special tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code, which imposes its own diversification requirements that are less restrictive than the requirements applicable to “diversified” investment companies under the 1940 Act.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Investment Results
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart below shows how the Fund’s investment results have varied from year to year, and the table shows how the Fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with different broad measures of market performance. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. It does not reflect charges and fees associated with a separate account that invests in the Fund or any insurance contract for which it is an investment option. Charges and fees will reduce returns. Past results are not predictive of future results.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart below shows how the Fund’s investment results have varied from year to year, and the table shows how the Fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with different broad measures of market performance.
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Past results are not predictive of future results.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Annual Returns as of December 31 each year
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads It does not reflect charges and fees associated with a separate account that invests in the Fund or any insurance contract for which it is an investment option. Charges and fees will reduce returns.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter (ended 03/31/2013): 14.88%;


Worst Quarter (ended 03/31/2008): -11.97%.
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2013
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 14.88%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (11.97%)
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2017
Performance Table Market Index Changed rr_PerformanceTableMarketIndexChanged After the close of business on September 28, 2018, the Fund’s underlying index changed from the Dow Jones U.S. PharmaceuticalsSM Index to Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index. This change was made in order to match the Fund’s underlying index to its investment objective.
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes.
PROFUND VP PHARMACEUTICALS | S&P 500®  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.83% [1]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.79% [1]
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.50% [1]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2002
PROFUND VP PHARMACEUTICALS | Dow Jones U.S. PharmaceuticalsSM Index  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.04% [1]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 13.61% [1]
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.80% [1]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2002
PROFUND VP PHARMACEUTICALS | Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 10.90% [1],[2]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 14.50% [1],[2]
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 13.20% [1],[2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2002
PROFUND VP PHARMACEUTICALS | PROFUND VP PHARMACEUTICALS  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Investment Advisory Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.70%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses Before Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.70%
Fee Waivers/Reimbursements rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.02%) [3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.68% [3]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 171
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 534
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 921
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 2,007
Annual Return 2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (19.51%)
Annual Return 2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 16.90%
Annual Return 2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 0.48%
Annual Return 2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 16.13%
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 11.86%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 31.63%
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 19.36%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 4.44%
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 (3.73%)
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 10.36%
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 10.36%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 11.76%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.91%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2002
[1] Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes. Adjusted to reflect the reinvestment of dividends paid by companies in the index.
[2] After the close of business on September 28, 2018, the Fund's underlying index changed from the Dow Jones U.S. PharmaceuticalsSM Index to Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index. This change was made in order to match the Fund's underlying index to its investment objective.
[3] ProFund Advisors LLC ("ProFund Advisors" or the "Advisor") has contractually agreed to waive Investment Advisory and Management Services Fees and to reimburse Other Expenses to the extent Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses Before Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements, as a percentage of average daily net assets, exceed 1.68% through April 30, 2019. After such date, the expense limitation may be terminated or revised by ProFund Advisors. Amounts waived or reimbursed in a particular contractual period may be recouped by ProFund Advisors within three years of the end of that contractual period; however, such recoupment will be limited to the lesser of any expense limitation in place at the time of recoupment or the expense limitation in place at the time of waiver or reimbursement.