Segment Information (Earnings) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Revenues
Premiums	$ 9,703	$ 9,094	$ 28,795	$ 27,403
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	2,628	2,372	7,507	7,034
Net investment income	5,410	5,026	15,704	16,385
Other revenues	518	476	1,486	1,446
Net investment gains (losses)	109	(85)	(427)	339
Net derivative gains (losses)	478	(546)	1,132	(2,866)
Total revenues	18,846	16,337	54,197	49,741
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	9,859	9,784	29,871	28,781
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	1,817	1,600	4,995	6,036
Capitalization of DAC	(1,071)	(1,153)	(3,149)	(3,621)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	1,054	841	3,174	2,623
Amortization of negative VOBA	(107)	(126)	(333)	(410)
Interest expense on debt	295	317	919	959
Other expenses	4,047	4,098	11,992	12,589
Total expenses	15,894	15,361	47,469	46,957
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	858	3	1,916	308
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of income tax	2,094	973	4,812	2,476
Operating Segments [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	9,685	9,054	28,755	27,314
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	2,522	2,276	7,205	6,768
Net investment income	5,193	4,998	15,373	15,137
Other revenues	518	486	1,502	1,467
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	17,918	16,814	52,835	50,686
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	9,854	9,243	29,191	27,442
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	1,426	1,472	4,252	4,547
Capitalization of DAC	(1,071)	(1,153)	(3,148)	(3,621)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	999	979	3,074	3,100
Amortization of negative VOBA	(96)	(113)	(298)	(368)
Interest expense on debt	292	288	885	863
Other expenses	4,003	4,026	11,933	12,118
Total expenses	15,407	14,742	45,889	44,081
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	656	547	1,878	1,807
Operating earnings	1,855	1,525	5,068	4,798
Operating Segments [Member] | Americas [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	7,124	6,516	21,135	19,619
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	1,879	1,704	5,480	5,052
Net investment income	4,295	4,125	12,693	12,348
Other revenues	456	438	1,336	1,300
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	13,754	12,783	40,644	38,319
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	8,036	7,469	23,959	22,300
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	981	1,018	2,939	3,119
Capitalization of DAC	(384)	(460)	(1,138)	(1,482)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	479	419	1,527	1,387
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	(1)	(1)	(2)
Interest expense on debt	1	2	5	8
Other expenses	2,346	2,364	6,999	7,090
Total expenses	11,459	10,811	34,290	32,420
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	799	656	2,129	1,963
Operating earnings	1,496	1,316	4,225	3,936
Operating Segments [Member] | Retail [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	1,869	1,607	5,405	4,735
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	1,311	1,257	3,814	3,662
Net investment income	1,983	1,928	5,960	5,876
Other revenues	275	267	785	767
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	5,438	5,059	15,964	15,040
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	2,555	2,234	7,400	6,659
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	567	582	1,683	1,750
Capitalization of DAC	(239)	(318)	(722)	(1,036)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	335	315	1,142	1,042
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	(1)	(1)	(1)	0
Other expenses	1,156	1,245	3,475	3,788
Total expenses	4,373	4,057	12,977	12,203
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	366	343	1,024	971
Operating earnings	699	659	1,963	1,866
Operating Segments [Member] | Group, Voluntary & Worksite Benefits [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	4,010	3,767	12,050	11,438
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	180	171	538	521
Net investment income	473	459	1,384	1,384
Other revenues	103	103	314	316
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	4,766	4,500	14,286	13,659
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	3,729	3,527	11,299	10,681
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	38	38	117	116
Capitalization of DAC	(37)	(37)	(107)	(105)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	38	37	109	104
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	0	0	0	1
Other expenses	634	595	1,900	1,761
Total expenses	4,402	4,160	13,318	12,558
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	127	114	338	370
Operating earnings	237	226	630	731
Operating Segments [Member] | Corporate Benefit Funding [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	451	450	1,438	1,369
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	60	54	172	187
Net investment income	1,493	1,384	4,346	4,176
Other revenues	71	68	214	208
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	2,075	1,956	6,170	5,940
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	1,033	1,071	3,194	3,168
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	279	292	844	940
Capitalization of DAC	(11)	(2)	(30)	(25)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	5	4	15	21
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	2	3	6	7
Other expenses	139	129	393	384
Total expenses	1,447	1,497	4,422	4,495
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	220	161	611	507
Operating earnings	408	298	1,137	938
Operating Segments [Member] | Latin America [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	794	692	2,242	2,077
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	328	222	956	682
Net investment income	346	354	1,003	912
Other revenues	7	0	23	9
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	1,475	1,268	4,224	3,680
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	719	637	2,066	1,792
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	97	106	295	313
Capitalization of DAC	(97)	(103)	(279)	(316)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	101	63	261	220
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	(1)	(1)	(2)
Interest expense on debt	0	0	0	0
Other expenses	417	395	1,231	1,157
Total expenses	1,237	1,097	3,573	3,164
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	86	38	156	115
Operating earnings	152	133	495	401
Operating Segments [Member] | Asia [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	1,939	1,922	5,742	5,900
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	487	438	1,276	1,324
Net investment income	730	696	2,140	2,151
Other revenues	27	22	78	63
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	3,183	3,078	9,236	9,438
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	1,535	1,506	4,357	4,354
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	394	407	1,175	1,286
Capitalization of DAC	(507)	(515)	(1,458)	(1,583)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	367	393	1,067	1,186
Amortization of negative VOBA	(89)	(99)	(275)	(325)
Interest expense on debt	0	0	0	0
Other expenses	1,026	1,040	2,992	3,188
Total expenses	2,726	2,732	7,858	8,106
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	151	89	425	412
Operating earnings	306	257	953	920
Operating Segments [Member] | Europe, the Middle East and Africa [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	581	586	1,762	1,711
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	127	100	353	287
Net investment income	131	124	388	372
Other revenues	22	21	49	82
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	861	831	2,552	2,452
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	252	243	784	736
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	43	37	112	109
Capitalization of DAC	(165)	(173)	(511)	(542)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	152	166	476	526
Amortization of negative VOBA	(7)	(13)	(22)	(41)
Interest expense on debt	0	0	0	0
Other expenses	454	443	1,356	1,351
Total expenses	729	703	2,195	2,139
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	36	43	80	73
Operating earnings	96	85	277	240
Operating Segments [Member] | Corporate & Other [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	41	30	116	84
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	29	34	96	105
Net investment income	37	53	152	266
Other revenues	13	5	39	22
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	120	122	403	477
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	31	25	91	52
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	8	10	26	33
Capitalization of DAC	(15)	(5)	(41)	(14)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	1	1	4	1
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	291	286	880	855
Other expenses	177	179	586	489
Total expenses	493	496	1,546	1,416
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	(330)	(241)	(756)	(641)
Operating earnings	(43)	(133)	(387)	(298)
Significant Reconciling Items [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	18	40	40	89
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	106	96	302	266
Net investment income	217	28	331	1,248
Other revenues	0	(10)	(16)	(21)
Net investment gains (losses)	109	(85)	(427)	339
Net derivative gains (losses)	478	(546)	1,132	(2,866)
Total revenues	928	(477)	1,362	(945)
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	5	541	680	1,339
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	391	128	743	1,489
Capitalization of DAC	0	0	(1)	0
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	55	(138)	100	(477)
Amortization of negative VOBA	(11)	(13)	(35)	(42)
Interest expense on debt	3	29	34	96
Other expenses	44	72	59	471
Total expenses	487	619	1,580	2,876
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	$ 202	$ (544)	$ 38	$ (1,499)