Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 359	$ 375	$ 939	$ 1,030
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Currency translation adjustments, net of tax (benefit) expense of $18 and $(13) for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $12 and ($11) for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively	127	(177)	(43)	(272)
Pension and other postretirement benefits, net of tax expense of $0 and $3 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $7 and $9 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively	0	17	26	37
Hedging activities, net of tax (benefit) expense of $5 and ($13) for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and ($33) and ($21) for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively	22	(42)	(112)	(69)
Net other comprehensive (loss) income	149	(202)	(129)	(304)
Comprehensive income	508	173	810	726
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	3	6	5	6
Comprehensive income attributable to Baxter stockholders	$ 505	$ 167	$ 805	$ 720