Segment Information (Earnings) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Revenues
Premiums	$ 10,391	$ 10,375	$ 29,501	$ 28,940
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	2,296	2,346	6,926	7,174
Net investment income	5,464	3,959	14,910	14,367
Other revenues	366	484	1,340	1,497
Net investment gains (losses)	257	382	538	535
Net derivative gains (losses)	(1,051)	485	(1,815)	394
Total revenues	17,723	18,031	51,400	52,907
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	11,167	10,688	31,758	29,967
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	1,820	647	4,646	3,940
Goodwill impairment	260	0	260	0
Capitalization of DAC	(863)	(955)	(2,759)	(2,850)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	1,017	1,131	2,133	3,053
Amortization of negative VOBA	(55)	(90)	(221)	(282)
Interest expense on debt	292	302	910	908
Other expenses	3,537	4,145	11,303	11,836
Total expenses	17,175	15,868	48,030	46,572
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	(25)	965	480	1,855
Net income (loss)	573	1,198	2,890	4,480
U.S.
Expenses
Goodwill impairment			0
Asia
Expenses
Goodwill impairment			0
Latin America
Expenses
Goodwill impairment			0
EMEA
Expenses
Goodwill impairment			0
MetLife Holdings
Expenses
Goodwill impairment			0
Brighthouse Financial
Expenses
Goodwill impairment	260		260
Corporate & Other
Expenses
Goodwill impairment			0
Operating Segments
Revenues
Premiums	10,391	10,376	29,075	28,942
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	2,199	2,247	6,523	6,876
Net investment income	5,160	4,849	14,747	15,016
Other revenues	359	495	1,330	1,525
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	18,109	17,967	51,675	52,359
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	10,872	10,780	30,850	29,730
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	1,315	1,331	3,930	4,004
Goodwill impairment	0	0	0	0
Capitalization of DAC	(863)	(955)	(2,654)	(2,850)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	1,282	971	3,178	2,925
Amortization of negative VOBA	(50)	(82)	(178)	(255)
Interest expense on debt	291	294	906	898
Other expenses	3,467	4,126	10,836	11,808
Total expenses	16,314	16,465	46,868	46,260
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	368	791	1,075	1,924
Operating earnings	1,427	711	3,732	4,175
Operating Segments | U.S.
Revenues
Premiums	5,936	6,023	16,127	15,712
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	245	233	743	700
Net investment income	1,590	1,522	4,615	4,723
Other revenues	192	184	589	567
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	7,963	7,962	22,074	21,702
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	5,894	5,976	16,210	15,675
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	322	304	967	905
Goodwill impairment	0	0	0	0
Capitalization of DAC	(124)	(128)	(356)	(365)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	117	118	353	352
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	2	1	7	4
Other expenses	912	908	2,772	2,740
Total expenses	7,123	7,179	19,953	19,311
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	288	272	720	819
Operating earnings	552	511	1,401	1,572
Operating Segments | Asia
Revenues
Premiums	1,822	1,736	5,161	5,297
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	394	382	1,114	1,179
Net investment income	707	670	2,003	2,033
Other revenues	12	26	45	82
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	2,935	2,814	8,323	8,591
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	1,363	1,331	3,923	4,046
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	331	327	974	992
Goodwill impairment	0	0	0	0
Capitalization of DAC	(440)	(435)	(1,251)	(1,268)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	331	309	921	971
Amortization of negative VOBA	(46)	(77)	(167)	(241)
Interest expense on debt	0	0	0	0
Other expenses	930	896	2,658	2,669
Total expenses	2,469	2,351	7,058	7,169
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	142	125	377	332
Operating earnings	324	338	888	1,090
Operating Segments | Latin America
Revenues
Premiums	653	586	1,885	1,925
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	227	261	764	856
Net investment income	311	277	809	774
Other revenues	11	10	26	27
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	1,202	1,134	3,484	3,582
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	681	581	1,814	1,793
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	85	88	249	263
Goodwill impairment	0	0	0	0
Capitalization of DAC	(83)	(81)	(236)	(246)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	(2)	48	127	195
Amortization of negative VOBA	(1)	0	(1)	(1)
Interest expense on debt	1	0	1	0
Other expenses	335	348	968	1,070
Total expenses	1,016	984	2,922	3,074
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	53	(33)	141	40
Operating earnings	133	183	421	468
Operating Segments | EMEA
Revenues
Premiums	500	501	1,519	1,534
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	104	106	294	322
Net investment income	81	82	244	249
Other revenues	17	11	56	40
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	702	700	2,113	2,145
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	257	233	801	737
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	28	27	87	91
Goodwill impairment	0	0	0	0
Capitalization of DAC	(103)	(107)	(310)	(372)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	106	127	311	388
Amortization of negative VOBA	(3)	(5)	(10)	(13)
Interest expense on debt	0	0	0	0
Other expenses	332	352	1,001	1,103
Total expenses	617	627	1,880	1,934
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	11	7	32	25
Operating earnings	74	66	201	186
Operating Segments | MetLife Holdings
Revenues
Premiums	1,093	1,115	3,312	3,345
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	357	370	1,073	1,117
Net investment income	1,537	1,521	4,489	4,690
Other revenues	105	223	512	711
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	3,092	3,229	9,386	9,863
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	1,853	1,885	5,603	5,479
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	261	266	780	793
Goodwill impairment	0	0	0	0
Capitalization of DAC	(44)	(101)	(240)	(292)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	219	173	636	423
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	15	13	43	41
Other expenses	401	647	1,861	1,988
Total expenses	2,705	2,883	8,683	8,432
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	121	103	203	454
Operating earnings	266	243	500	977
Operating Segments | Brighthouse Financial
Revenues
Premiums	347	468	1,020	1,159
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	903	921	2,622	2,789
Net investment income	941	862	2,624	2,536
Other revenues	50	99	482	310
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	2,241	2,350	6,748	6,794
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	814	846	2,525	2,103
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	288	313	868	940
Goodwill impairment	0	0	0	0
Capitalization of DAC	(70)	(102)	(255)	(305)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	509	197	823	595
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	32	32	96	96
Other expenses	560	614	1,739	1,830
Total expenses	2,133	1,900	5,796	5,259
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	40	103	260	410
Operating earnings	68	347	692	1,125
Operating Segments | Corporate & Other
Revenues
Premiums	40	(53)	51	(30)
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	(31)	(26)	(87)	(87)
Net investment income	(7)	(85)	(37)	11
Other revenues	(28)	(58)	(380)	(212)
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	(26)	(222)	(453)	(318)
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	10	(72)	(26)	(103)
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	0	6	5	20
Goodwill impairment	0	0	0	0
Capitalization of DAC	1	(1)	(6)	(2)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	2	(1)	7	1
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	241	248	759	757
Other expenses	(3)	361	(163)	408
Total expenses	251	541	576	1,081
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	(287)	214	(658)	(156)
Operating earnings	10	(977)	(371)	(1,243)
Significant Reconciling Items
Revenues
Premiums	0	(1)	426	(2)
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	97	99	403	298
Net investment income	304	(890)	163	(649)
Other revenues	7	(11)	10	(28)
Net investment gains (losses)	257	382	538	535
Net derivative gains (losses)	(1,051)	485	(1,815)	394
Total revenues	(386)	64	(275)	548
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	295	(92)	908	237
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	505	(684)	716	(64)
Goodwill impairment	260	0	260	0
Capitalization of DAC	0	0	(105)	0
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	(265)	160	(1,045)	128
Amortization of negative VOBA	(5)	(8)	(43)	(27)
Interest expense on debt	1	8	4	10
Other expenses	70	19	467	28
Total expenses	861	(597)	1,162	312
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	$ (393)	$ 174	$ (595)	$ (69)