Revenue Recognition - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($) Segment	Dec. 31, 2017
Revenue Recognition [Abstract]
Percentage of sales through direct channel		80.00%
Period terms for payment	90 days	90 days
Percentage of sales through indirect channel		20.00%
Significant multiple element arrangements	$ 0
Contract assets	0
Contract liabilities	0
Future performance obligations	$ 0
Number of operating segments \| Segment	7
Number of reporting segments \| Segment	3

Amount, after allowance for credit loss, of right to consideration in exchange for good or service transferred to customer when right is conditioned on something other than passage of time.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82913815&loc=SL49130533-203044

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 270
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84173487&loc=SL51747714-108306

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82913815&loc=SL49130531-203044

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82913847&loc=SL49130549-203045

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ContractWithCustomerAssetNet
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of obligation to transfer good or service to customer for which consideration has been received or is receivable.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82913815&loc=SL49130532-203044

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82913847&loc=SL49130549-203045

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82913815&loc=SL49130531-203044

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ContractWithCustomerLiability
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfOperatingSegments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of segments reported by the entity. A reportable segment is a component of an entity for which there is an accounting requirement to report separate financial information on that component in the entity's financial statements.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfReportableSegments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_RevenueRecognitionAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the value established as the selling price of the significant unit of accounting used to allocate the consideration of the multiple-deliverable arrangement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 605
-SubTopic 25
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (e)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68059916&loc=SL6750900-111635

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_RevenueRecognitionMultipleDeliverableArrangementsDeterminationOfSellingPriceAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of transaction price allocated to performance obligation that has not been recognized as revenue.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 270
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (e)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84173487&loc=SL51747714-108306

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-Subparagraph (b)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82913847&loc=SL49130556-203045

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_RevenueRemainingPerformanceObligation
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Percentage of sales through direct channel.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	zbh_PercentageOfSalesThroughDirectChannel
Namespace Prefix:	zbh_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of sales through indirect channel.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	zbh_PercentageOfSalesThroughIndirectChannel
Namespace Prefix:	zbh_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Period terms for payment.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	zbh_PeriodTermsForPayment
Namespace Prefix:	zbh_
Data Type:	us-types:durationStringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration