Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2021	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2021	Sep. 30, 2020
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 452	$ 359	$ 1,053	$ 939
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Currency translation adjustments, net of tax expense (benefit) of $3 and $18 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $16 and $12 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively	(137)	127	(257)	(43)
Pension and other postretirement benefits, net of tax expense of $8 and $0 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $19 and $7 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively	22	0	63	26
Hedging activities, net of tax expense (benefit) of $3 and $5 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $8 and ($33) for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively	9	22	26	(112)
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(106)	149	(168)	(129)
Comprehensive income	346	508	885	810
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	2	3	7	5
Comprehensive income attributable to Baxter stockholders	$ 344	$ 505	$ 878	$ 805