CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY - USD ($)	Total	Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Common stock	Common stock in treasury	Additional contributed capital	Retained earnings	Retained earnings Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Total Baxter stockholders' equity	Total Baxter stockholders' equity Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Noncontrolling interests
Beginning of year (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018			683,000,000
Beginning of year at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 7,866,000,000	$ 0	$ 683,000,000	$ (9,989,000,000)	$ 5,898,000,000	$ 15,075,000,000	$ 161,000,000	$ (3,823,000,000)	$ (161,000,000)	$ 7,844,000,000	$ 0	$ 22,000,000
Beginning of year (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018				170,000,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	1,011,000,000					1,001,000,000				1,001,000,000		10,000,000
Other comprehensive income (loss)	$ 274,000,000							274,000,000		274,000,000
Purchases of common stock (in shares)	16,500,000			16,000,000
Purchases of treasury stock	$ (1,247,000,000)			$ (1,293,000,000)	46,000,000					(1,247,000,000)
Stock issued under employee benefit plans and other (in shares)				(9,000,000)
Stock issued under employee benefit plans and other	(445,000,000)			$ (518,000,000)	(11,000,000)	(84,000,000)				(445,000,000)
Dividends declared on common stock	(435,000,000)					(435,000,000)				(435,000,000)
Changes in noncontrolling interests	(2,000,000)											(2,000,000)
End of year (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2019			683,000,000
End of year at Dec. 31, 2019	7,912,000,000	$ (4,000,000)	$ 683,000,000	$ (10,764,000,000)	5,955,000,000	15,718,000,000	$ (4,000,000)	(3,710,000,000)	$ 0	7,882,000,000	$ (4,000,000)	30,000,000
End of year (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2019				177,000,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	1,110,000,000					1,102,000,000				1,102,000,000		8,000,000
Other comprehensive income (loss)	$ 396,000,000							396,000,000		396,000,000
Purchases of common stock (in shares)	6,300,000			6,000,000
Purchases of treasury stock	$ (500,000,000)			$ (500,000,000)	0					(500,000,000)
Stock issued under employee benefit plans and other (in shares)				(4,000,000)
Stock issued under employee benefit plans and other	(301,000,000)			$ (213,000,000)	(88,000,000)	0				(301,000,000)
Dividends declared on common stock	(488,000,000)					(488,000,000)				(488,000,000)
Changes in noncontrolling interests	$ (1,000,000)											(1,000,000)
End of year (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2020	683,494,944		683,000,000
End of year at Dec. 31, 2020	$ 8,726,000,000		$ 683,000,000	$ (11,051,000,000)	6,043,000,000	16,328,000,000		(3,314,000,000)		8,689,000,000		37,000,000
End of year (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2020	178,580,208			179,000,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	$ 1,295,000,000					1,284,000,000				1,284,000,000		11,000,000
Other comprehensive income (loss)	$ (66,000,000)							(66,000,000)		(66,000,000)
Purchases of common stock (in shares)	7,300,000			7,000,000
Purchases of treasury stock	$ (600,000,000)			$ (600,000,000)	0					(600,000,000)
Stock issued under employee benefit plans and other (in shares)				(4,000,000)
Stock issued under employee benefit plans and other	(317,000,000)			$ (163,000,000)	(154,000,000)	0				(317,000,000)
Dividends declared on common stock	(547,000,000)					(547,000,000)				(547,000,000)
Changes in noncontrolling interests	$ (4,000,000)											(4,000,000)
End of year (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2021	683,494,944		683,000,000
End of year at Dec. 31, 2021	$ 9,121,000,000		$ 683,000,000	$ (11,488,000,000)	$ 6,197,000,000	$ 17,065,000,000		$ (3,380,000,000)		$ 9,077,000,000		$ 44,000,000
End of year (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2021	181,879,516			182,000,000