Intangible Assets - Reconciliation of Goodwill by Business Segment (Parenthetical) (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquisition	$ 22

Amount of goodwill acquired, representing future economic benefits arising from other assets acquired in a business combination that are not individually identified and separately recognized resulting from a business combination, that is attributable to a specific transaction closed in the period.

No definition available.

Name:	bdx_GoodwillAcquired
Namespace Prefix:	bdx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration