Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	SPDR SERIES TRUST
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Oct. 31, 2016
SPDR(R) S & P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	SPDR® S&P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of an index that tracks the performance of small capitalization exchange traded U.S. equity securities exhibiting “growth” characteristics.
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 and hold shares of the Fund (“Fund Shares”). This table and the Example below reflect the expenses of the Fund and do not reflect brokerage commissions you may pay on purchases and sales of Fund Shares.
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):
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 57% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	57.00%
Expense Exchange Traded Fund Commissions [Text]	rr_ExpenseExchangeTradedFundCommissions	This table and the Example below reflect the expenses of the Fund and do not reflect brokerage commissions you may pay on purchases and sales of Fund Shares.
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 sell all of your Fund Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	THE FUND'S PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	In seeking to track the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600 Growth Index (the “Index”), the Fund employs a sampling strategy, which means that the Fund is not required to purchase all of the securities represented in the Index. Instead, the Fund may purchase a subset of the securities in the Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics of the Index. The quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. Based on its analysis of these factors, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM” or the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to the Fund, may invest the Fund's assets in a subset of securities in the Index or may invest the Fund's assets in substantially all of the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index. Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in equity securities that are not included in the Index, cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser). The Index measures the performance of the small-capitalization growth segment of the U.S. equity market. The Index consists of those stocks in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index exhibiting the strongest growth characteristics based on: (i) sales growth; (ii) earnings change to price; and (iii) momentum. The selection universe for the S&P SmallCap 600 Index includes all U.S. common equities listed on the NYSE, NYSE Arca, NYSE MKT, NASDAQ Global Select Market, NASDAQ Select Market, NASDAQ Capital Market, Bats BZX, Bats BYX, Bats EDGA, or Bats EDGX with market capitalizations generally between $400 million and $1.8 billion at the time of inclusion. Capitalization ranges may be revised by the Index Provider (as defined below) at any time. To be included in the Index, a security (or issuer of a security, as applicable) should (i) have an annual dollar value traded to float adjusted market capitalization ratio of 1 or greater; (ii) trade a minimum of 250,000 shares in each of the six months leading up to the evaluation date; (iii) have a public float of at least 50%; and (iv) have positive as-reported earnings over the most recent four consecutive quarters (measured using the sum of earnings over those quarters) and for the most recent quarter. The Index is market capitalization weighted and rebalanced annually on the third Friday of December. As of August 31, 2016, a significant portion of the Index comprised companies in the financial, industrial, health care and technology sectors, although this may change from time to time. As of August 31, 2016, the Index comprised 348 stocks. The Index is sponsored by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. The Index Provider determines the composition of the Index, relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Equity Investing Risk: The market prices of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly relate to the issuer and also may decline due to general industry or market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time. Financial Sector Risk: Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. Certain events in the financial sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign, and cause certain financial services companies to incur large losses. Securities of financial services companies may experience a dramatic decline in value when such companies experience substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, take action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or cease operations. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers and financial losses associated with investment activities can negatively impact the sector. Insurance companies may be subject to severe price competition. Adverse economic, business or political developments could adversely affect financial institutions engaged in mortgage finance or other lending or investing activities directly or indirectly connected to the value of real estate. Growth Stock Risk: The prices of growth stocks may be based largely on expectations of future earnings, and their prices can decline rapidly and significantly in reaction to negative news. Growth stocks may underperform value stocks and stocks in other broad style categories (and the stock market as a whole) over any period of time and may shift in and out of favor with investors generally, sometimes rapidly, depending on changes in market, economic, and other factors. Health Care Sector Risk: Companies in the health care sector are subject to extensive government regulation and their profitability can be significantly affected by restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure (including price discounting), limited product lines and an increased emphasis on the delivery of healthcare through outpatient services. Companies in the health care sector are heavily dependent on obtaining and defending patents, which may be time consuming and costly, and the expiration of patents may also adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Health care companies are also subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. In addition, their products can become obsolete due to industry innovation, changes in technologies or other market developments. Many new products in the health care sector require significant research and development and may be subject to regulatory approvals, all of which may be time consuming and costly with no guarantee that any product will come to market. Index Tracking Risk: While the Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), the Fund's return may not match the return of the Index. The Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions. The Adviser may attempt to replicate the Index return by investing in fewer than all of the securities in the Index, or in some securities not included in the Index, potentially increasing the risk of divergence between the Fund's return and that of the Index. Industrial Sector Risk: Industrial companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, exchange rates and economic conditions, technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these companies. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrial sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely, to a significant extent, on U.S. and foreign government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by governmental defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control the U.S. (and other) government budgets. Transportation securities, a component of the industrial sector, are cyclical and have occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs. Liquidity Risk: Lack of a ready market or restrictions on resale may limit the ability of the Fund to sell a security at an advantageous time or price or at all. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. Illiquidity of the Fund's holdings may limit the ability of the Fund to obtain cash to meet redemptions on a timely basis. In addition, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in any illiquid securities and/or the difficulty in purchasing and selling such investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain market or sector. Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, and general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic growth or recession, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets. Non-Diversification Risk: As a “non-diversified” fund, the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds. Passive Strategy/Index Risk: The Fund is managed with a passive investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund's performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the Fund. Small-Capitalization Securities Risk: The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile and may involve more risk than the securities of larger companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, may lack the competitive strength of larger companies, and may depend on a few key employees. In addition, these companies may have been recently organized and may have little or no track record of success. The securities of smaller companies may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes than more widely held securities. Some securities of smaller issuers may be illiquid or may be restricted as to resale, and their values may have significant volatility. The Fund may be unable to liquidate its positions in such securities at any time, or at a favorable price, in order to meet the Fund's obligations. Returns on investments in securities of small-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of larger companies. Technology Sector Risk: Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a major effect on the value of the Fund's investments. The value of stocks of technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Unconstrained Sector Risk: The Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets within one or more economic sectors or industries, which may change from time to time. Greater investment focus on one or more sectors or industries increases the potential for volatility and the risk that events negatively affecting such sectors or industries could reduce returns, potentially causing the value of the Fund's Shares to decrease, perhaps significantly. Valuation Risk: Some portfolio holdings, potentially a large portion of the Fund's investment portfolio, may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur more often in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. There are multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio holding when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio holding at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio position is sold or closed out at a discount to the valuation established by the Fund at that time. Investors who purchase or redeem Fund Shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued investments may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher redemption proceeds than they would have received if the Fund had not fair-valued the holding(s) or had used a different valuation methodology.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text]	rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus	Non-Diversification Risk: As a “non-diversified” fund, the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]	rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution	An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	FUND PERFORMANCE
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The following bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for certain time periods compare with the average annual returns of the Index. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available by calling 1-866-787-2257 or visiting our website at https://www.spdrs.com.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The following bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for certain time periods compare with the average annual returns of the Index.
Performance Availability Phone [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone	1-866-787-2257
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	https://www.spdrs.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (years ended 12/31)
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	Highest Quarterly Return: 28.61% (Q2, 2009) Lowest Quarterly Return: -28.41% (Q4, 2008)
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for periods ended 12/31/15)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	The after-tax returns presented in the table below are calculated using highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund Shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher	rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher	The returns after taxes can exceed the returns before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit for a shareholder from realizing a capital loss on a sale of Fund Shares.
Performance Table Narrative	rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock	The after-tax returns presented in the table below are calculated using highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund Shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. The returns after taxes can exceed the returns before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit for a shareholder from realizing a capital loss on a sale of Fund Shares.  Prior to December 17, 2010, the Fund's investment strategy sought to track the total return performance of an index different from the S&P SmallCap 600 Growth Index. Performance of the Fund prior to December 17, 2010 is therefore based on the Fund's investment strategy to track the prior index.
SPDR(R) S & P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF | SPDR(R) S & P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Management fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.15%
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	none
Total annual Fund operating expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	0.15%
Year 1	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 15
Year 3	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	48
Year 5	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	85
Year 10	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	$ 192
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	13.37%	[1]
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	7.89%	[1]
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(40.99%)	[1]
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	46.84%	[1]
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	30.23%	[1]
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	3.49%	[1]
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	14.39%	[1]
2013	rr_AnnualReturn2013	42.44%	[1]
2014	rr_AnnualReturn2014	3.66%	[1]
2015	rr_AnnualReturn2015	2.64%	[1]
Year to Date Return, Label	rr_YearToDateReturnLabel	Year-To-Date return
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date	rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2016
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return	rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn	11.39%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Highest Quarterly Return:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	28.61%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Lowest Quarterly Return:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(28.41%)
One Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	2.64%
Five Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	12.40%
Ten Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	9.49%
SPDR(R) S & P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF | Return After Taxes on Distributions | SPDR(R) S & P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
One Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	1.12%
Five Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	11.63%
Ten Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	9.04%
SPDR(R) S & P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | SPDR(R) S & P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
One Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	2.39%
Five Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	9.77%
Ten Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	7.73%
SPDR(R) S & P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF | S&P SmallCap 600 Growth Index (Index returns reflect no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
One Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	2.78%
Five Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	12.58%
Ten Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	8.81%

[1] As of September 30, 2016, the Fund's Calendar Year-To-Date return was 11.39%.