Segment Information (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011
Revenues
Premiums	$ 9,161	$ 9,294	$ 18,290	$ 17,848
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	2,097	1,969	4,175	3,858
Net investment income	4,719	5,094	10,919	10,406
Other revenues	393	592	990	1,158
Net investment gains (losses)	(64)	(155)	(174)	(254)
Net derivative gains (losses)	2,092	352	114	37
Total revenues	18,398	17,146	34,314	33,053
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	9,263	9,495	18,710	18,104
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	1,022	1,442	3,579	3,366
Capitalization of DAC	(1,315)	(1,367)	(2,679)	(2,631)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	1,479	1,254	2,193	2,193
Amortization of negative VOBA	(181)	(183)	(336)	(366)
Interest expense on debt	342	420	700	835
Other expenses	4,450	4,575	9,218	8,758
Total expenses	15,060	15,636	31,385	30,259
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	1,038	448	763	808
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of income tax	2,300	1,062	2,166	1,986
Operating Segments [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	9,139	9,270	18,246	17,802
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	1,999	1,908	4,008	3,740
Net investment income	5,187	5,011	10,272	9,794
Other revenues	464	458	953	926
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	16,789	16,647	33,479	32,262
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	9,132	9,272	18,071	17,711
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	1,525	1,508	3,064	2,987
Capitalization of DAC	(1,313)	(1,365)	(2,675)	(2,627)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	1,162	1,136	2,180	2,133
Amortization of negative VOBA	(164)	(163)	(301)	(326)
Interest expense on debt	299	328	612	651
Other expenses	4,113	4,172	8,404	8,062
Total expenses	14,754	14,888	29,355	28,591
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	578	521	1,174	1,085
Operating earnings	1,457	1,238	2,950	2,586
Operating Segments [Member] | The Americas [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	6,434	6,684	12,836	12,702
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	1,537	1,439	3,064	2,832
Net investment income	4,047	4,012	8,094	7,857
Other revenues	397	349	783	696
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	12,415	12,484	24,777	24,087
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	7,302	7,581	14,527	14,398
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	1,061	1,065	2,138	2,125
Capitalization of DAC	(558)	(705)	(1,156)	(1,335)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	563	554	1,062	1,058
Amortization of negative VOBA	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Interest expense on debt	2	4	5	6
Other expenses	2,368	2,477	4,794	4,801
Total expenses	10,737	10,974	21,367	21,049
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	550	495	1,124	999
Operating earnings	1,128	1,015	2,286	2,039
Operating Segments [Member] | Latin America [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	652	647	1,338	1,241
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	196	194	392	383
Net investment income	283	272	582	438
Other revenues	3	2	8	6
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	1,134	1,115	2,320	2,068
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	568	534	1,160	958
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	90	94	190	185
Capitalization of DAC	(71)	(78)	(155)	(153)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	54	62	109	109
Amortization of negative VOBA	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Interest expense on debt	0	1	1	1
Other expenses	323	339	649	648
Total expenses	963	950	1,951	1,744
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	36	36	86	74
Operating earnings	135	129	283	250
Operating Segments [Member] | Asia [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	2,011	1,884	3,958	3,687
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	315	296	638	593
Net investment income	730	596	1,383	1,109
Other revenues	(3)	8	13	20
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	3,053	2,784	5,992	5,409
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	1,374	1,272	2,643	2,470
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	426	398	853	778
Capitalization of DAC	(538)	(467)	(1,099)	(918)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	404	401	759	730
Amortization of negative VOBA	(127)	(141)	(257)	(287)
Interest expense on debt	4	(1)	5	0
Other expenses	1,097	1,063	2,219	2,053
Total expenses	2,640	2,525	5,123	4,826
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	138	88	297	188
Operating earnings	275	171	572	395
Operating Segments [Member] | Europe, the Middle East and Africa [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	680	689	1,424	1,386
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	108	135	227	239
Net investment income	157	178	342	351
Other revenues	27	29	63	55
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	972	1,031	2,056	2,031
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	404	395	838	803
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	26	45	61	84
Capitalization of DAC	(217)	(193)	(420)	(374)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	195	181	359	345
Amortization of negative VOBA	(36)	(20)	(41)	(35)
Interest expense on debt	1	0	1	1
Other expenses	478	514	1,018	972
Total expenses	851	922	1,816	1,796
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	39	45	82	92
Operating earnings	82	64	158	143
Operating Segments [Member] | Retail [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	1,081	1,135	2,217	2,160
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	1,119	1,032	2,233	2,023
Net investment income	1,839	1,827	3,695	3,635
Other revenues	213	187	418	369
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	4,252	4,181	8,563	8,187
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	1,837	1,876	3,739	3,655
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	590	595	1,186	1,186
Capitalization of DAC	(367)	(499)	(772)	(920)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	407	368	740	706
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	0	0	0	0
Other expenses	1,201	1,324	2,457	2,521
Total expenses	3,668	3,664	7,350	7,148
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	204	184	425	365
Operating earnings	380	333	788	674
Operating Segments [Member] | Group, Voluntary & Worksite Benefits [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	4,178	4,028	8,251	8,004
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	165	155	331	314
Net investment income	494	505	985	990
Other revenues	116	99	228	200
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	4,953	4,787	9,795	9,508
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	3,766	3,725	7,405	7,319
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	43	45	85	88
Capitalization of DAC	(112)	(123)	(214)	(245)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	98	119	199	233
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	0	0	0	0
Other expenses	724	692	1,440	1,384
Total expenses	4,519	4,458	8,915	8,779
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	139	101	281	228
Operating earnings	295	228	599	501
Operating Segments [Member] | Corporate Benefit Funding [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	523	874	1,030	1,297
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	57	58	108	112
Net investment income	1,431	1,408	2,832	2,794
Other revenues	65	61	129	121
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	2,076	2,401	4,099	4,324
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	1,131	1,446	2,223	2,466
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	338	331	677	666
Capitalization of DAC	(8)	(5)	(15)	(17)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	4	5	14	10
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	2	3	4	5
Other expenses	120	122	248	248
Total expenses	1,587	1,902	3,151	3,378
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	171	174	332	332
Operating earnings	318	325	616	614
Operating Segments [Member] | Corporate & Other [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	14	13	28	27
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	39	38	79	76
Net investment income	253	225	453	477
Other revenues	43	72	94	155
Net investment gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Net derivative gains (losses)	0	0	0	0
Total revenues	349	348	654	735
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	52	24	63	40
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	12	0	12	0
Capitalization of DAC	0	0	0	0
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	0	0	0	0
Amortization of negative VOBA	0	0	0	0
Interest expense on debt	292	325	601	644
Other expenses	170	118	373	236
Total expenses	526	467	1,049	920
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	(149)	(107)	(329)	(194)
Operating earnings	(28)	(12)	(66)	9
Significant Reconciling Items [Member]
Revenues
Premiums	22	24	44	46
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees	98	61	167	118
Net investment income	(468)	83	647	612
Other revenues	(71)	134	37	232
Net investment gains (losses)	(64)	(155)	(174)	(254)
Net derivative gains (losses)	2,092	352	114	37
Total revenues	1,609	499	835	791
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims and policyholder dividends	131	223	639	393
Interest credited to policyholder account balances	(503)	(66)	515	379
Capitalization of DAC	(2)	(2)	(4)	(4)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA	317	118	13	60
Amortization of negative VOBA	(17)	(20)	(35)	(40)
Interest expense on debt	43	92	88	184
Other expenses	337	403	814	696
Total expenses	306	748	2,030	1,668
Provision for income tax expense (benefit)	$ 460	$ (73)	$ (411)	$ (277)