Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Oct. 28, 2013
Nationwide Global Equity Fund
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	FUND SUMMARY: NATIONWIDE GLOBAL EQUITY FUND
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The Fund seeks to maximize total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay when buying and holding shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Nationwide Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in “Investing with Nationwide Funds” commencing on page 18 of this Prospectus and in “Additional Information on Purchases and Sales” commencing on page 67 of the Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]	rr_ShareholderFeesCaption	Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)
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	February 28, 2015
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 and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 28.88% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	28.88%
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts	You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Nationwide Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount	$ 50,000
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	This Example is intended to help you to 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 sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return each year and no change in expenses. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text]	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption	You would pay the following expenses on the same investment if you did not sell your shares:
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any) in equity securities. Investments in equity securities may include, but are not limited to, dividend-paying securities, common stock and preferred stock of U.S. and foreign issuers, although the Fund is not limited to purchasing dividend-paying securities only, and may invest in stocks that provide little to no dividend income, but which offer the potential for capital growth. The Fund may purchase stocks of U.S. and foreign companies of any size, including small-cap and mid-cap companies and which are located in either developed countries or emerging market countries. The Fund may also invest in currency futures and forward foreign currency exchange contracts, which are derivatives, in order to hedge against international currency exposure. In addition, these derivatives may be used for investment (non-hedging) purposes to earn income, to enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to certain markets, or to establish net short positions for individual currencies. The Fund’s subadviser, on behalf of the Fund, intends to diversify broadly among countries, but reserves the right to invest a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets in one or more countries if, in the subadviser’s opinion, economic and business conditions warrant such investments. The Fund invests its assets in investments that are tied economically to a number of countries throughout the world, including the United States. In the global universe, the subadviser uses a disciplined price-to-intrinsic value approach that seeks to take advantage of pricing anomalies in markets. In selecting securities, the subadviser focuses on, among other things, identifying discrepancies between what the subadviser believes is a security’s fundamental value and its market price. The Fund generally considers selling a security when it reaches a target price, fails to perform as expected, or when other opportunities appear more attractive.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	The Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective. As with any fund, the value of the Fund’s investments—and therefore, the value of Fund shares—may fluctuate. These changes may occur because of: Stock market risk – the Fund could lose value if the individual stocks in which it invests or overall stock markets in which such stocks trade go down. Foreign securities risk – foreign securities may be more volatile, harder to price and less liquid than U.S. securities. The prices of foreign securities may be further affected by other factors, such as changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the securities are traded. Emerging markets risk – emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging securities markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. Since these markets are smaller than developed markets, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. Many emerging markets also have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, nationalization of assets, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. Country risk – if the Fund emphasizes one or more countries, it may be more susceptible to the financial, market, political or economic events affecting the particular issuers and industries participating in such countries than funds that do not emphasize particular countries. Preferred stock risk – a preferred stock may decline in price, or fail to pay dividends when expected, because the issuer experiences a decline in its financial status. Preferred stocks often behave like debt securities, but have a lower payment priority than the issuer’s bonds or other debt securities. Therefore, they may be subject to greater credit risk than those of debt securities. Preferred stocks also may be significantly less liquid than many other securities, such as corporate debt or common stock. Smaller company risk – smaller companies are usually less stable in price and less liquid than are larger, more established companies. Smaller companies are more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business and economic developments and may have more limited resources. Therefore, they generally involve greater risk. Derivatives risk – the Fund’s investments in currency futures and forward foreign currency exchange contracts (collectively, “currency contracts”) may involve a small investment relative to the amount of risk assumed. To the extent the Fund enters into these transactions, its success will depend on the subadviser’s ability to predict market movements, and their use may have the opposite effect of that intended. Risks include potential loss due to the imposition of controls by a government on the exchange of foreign currencies, the loss of any premium paid to enter into the transaction, delivery failure, default by the other party, or inability to close out a position because the trading market becomes illiquid. Derivatives may involve leverage, which means that their use can significantly magnify the effect of price movements of the underlying currency or reference measures, disproportionately increasing the Fund’s losses and reducing the Fund’s opportunities for gains. Some derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, including a loss that may be greater than the amount invested. Currency contracts may reduce the risk of loss from a change in the value of a currency, but they also limit any potential gains and do not protect against fluctuations in the value of the underlying stock. In addition to these risks, the Fund’s portfolio managers may select securities that underperform the stock market, the Fund’s benchmark or other mutual funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. If the value of the Fund’s investments goes down, you may lose money.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	If the value of the Fund’s investments goes down, you may lose money.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The Fund commenced operations on November 19, 2012 as the result of a reorganization in which the Fund acquired all of the assets, subject to stated liabilities, of the UBS Global Equity Fund, a former series of The UBS Funds (the “Predecessor Fund”). Therefore, the returns presented for the Fund prior to that date reflect the historical performance of the Predecessor Fund. The Fund and the Predecessor Fund have substantially similar investment goals and strategies. The following bar chart and table can help you evaluate the Fund’s potential risks. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s annual total returns have varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect the impact of sales charges. If the applicable sales charges were included, the annual total returns would be lower than those shown. The table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns to the returns of a broad-based securities index. Remember, however, that past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting nationwide.com/mutualfunds or by calling 800-848-0920.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The bar chart shows how the Fund’s annual total returns have varied from year to year.
Performance Availability Phone [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone	800-848-0920
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	nationwide.com/mutualfunds
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	Remember, however, that past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Annual Total Returns – Institutional Class Shares (Years Ended December 31,)
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text]	rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads	These returns do not reflect the impact of sales charges. If the applicable sales charges were included, the annual total returns would be lower than those shown.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	Year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2013: 18.45% Best quarter:    26.01% – 2nd qtr. of 2009 Worst quarter:    -22.99% – 4th qtr. of 2008
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns For the Periods Ended December 31, 2012
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	After-tax returns are not relevant to investors in tax-deferred arrangements, such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) plans or certain other employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text]	rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown	After-tax returns are shown in the table for Institutional Class shares only and will vary for other classes.
Performance Table Narrative	rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock	After-tax returns are shown in the table for Institutional Class shares only and will vary for other classes. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax return depends on your personal tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors in tax-deferred arrangements, such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) plans or certain other employer-sponsored retirement plans. The inception date for Institutional Service Class shares is November 21, 2012. Pre-inception historical performance for Institutional Service Class shares is based on the previous performance of Institutional Class shares. Performance for Institutional Service Class shares has not been adjusted to reflect a higher level of expenses than for Institutional Class shares.
Nationwide Global Equity Fund | Class A Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	5.75%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering or sale price, whichever is less)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice	none
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.53%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.53%
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.31%)	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Waivers/Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.22%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	692
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	1,002
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,334
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,269
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	11.43%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(1.59%)
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	5.84%
Nationwide Global Equity Fund | Class C Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering or sale price, whichever is less)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice	1.00%
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	1.00%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.51%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	2.26%
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.31%)	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Waivers/Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.95%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	298
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	677
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,182
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,571
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	198
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	677
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	1,182
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	2,571
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	16.34%	[2]
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(1.15%)	[2]
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	5.66%	[2]
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Sep. 30, 2003	[2]
Nationwide Global Equity Fund | Institutional Service Class Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering or sale price, whichever is less)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice	none
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.56%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.31%
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.31%)	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Waivers/Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.00%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	102
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	385
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	688
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,552
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	18.16%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(0.13%)
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	6.77%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Nov. 21, 2012
Nationwide Global Equity Fund | Institutional Class Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering or sale price, whichever is less)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice	none
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.51%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.26%
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.31%)	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Waivers/Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	0.95%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	97
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	369
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	662
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	$ 1,495
2003	rr_AnnualReturn2003	29.57%
2004	rr_AnnualReturn2004	14.26%
2005	rr_AnnualReturn2005	7.15%
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	17.76%
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	3.71%
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(40.69%)
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	45.37%
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	10.61%
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	(11.84%)
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	18.16%
Year to Date Return, Label	rr_YearToDateReturnLabel	Year-to-date total return
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date	rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2013
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return	rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn	18.45%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Best quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	26.01%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Worst quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(22.99%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	18.16%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(0.13%)
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	6.77%
Nationwide Global Equity Fund | After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	17.34%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(0.80%)
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	6.37%
Nationwide Global Equity Fund | After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Shares | Institutional Class Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	12.36%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(0.38%)
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	5.81%
Nationwide Global Equity Fund | MSCI World Free Index (The Index does not pay sales charges, fees, expenses or taxes.)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	15.83%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(1.18%)
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	7.51%

[1] Nationwide Mutual Funds (the "Trust") and Nationwide Fund Advisors (the "Adviser") have entered into a written contract limiting operating expenses to 0.95% until February 28, 2015. Under the expense limitation agreement, the level to which operating expenses are limited applies to all share classes, excluding any taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, Rule 12b-1 fees, short-sale dividend expenses, administrative services fees, other expenses which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with any merger or reorganization, and may exclude other non-routine expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business. The expense limitation agreement may be changed or eliminated at any time but only with the consent of the Board of Trustees of the Trust. The Trust is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation that was in place at the time the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses. Information about administrative services fees can be found in "Investing with Nationwide Funds" on page 21 of this Prospectus.

[2] Prior to September 30, 2003, Class C shares were subject to a maximum front-end sales charge of 1.00%; this front-end sales charge is not reflected in the average annual total returns presented for the Class C shares shown above.