Retirement Benefit Plans - Weighted Average Actuarial Assumptions Used to Determine Net Pension Expense for Our Defined Benefit Retirement Plans (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
United States
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	2.04%	3.40%	4.38%
Rate of compensation increase			3.29%
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets	6.75%	7.75%	7.75%
Foreign [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	0.63%	0.73%	1.44%
Rate of compensation increase	2.39%	2.28%	2.50%
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets	2.09%	2.17%	2.14%

Weighted average rate for present value of future retirement benefits cash flows, used to determine net periodic benefit cost of defined benefit plan.

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanAssumptionsUsedCalculatingNetPeriodicBenefitCostDiscountRate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Weighted average rate of return on plan assets, reflecting average rate of earnings expected on existing plan assets and expected contributions, used to determine net periodic benefit cost of defined benefit plan.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (k)(3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e1928-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123447040&loc=d3e2919-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanAssumptionsUsedCalculatingNetPeriodicBenefitCostExpectedLongTermReturnOnAssets
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Weighted average rate of compensation increase used to determine net periodic benefit cost of defined benefit plan. Plan includes, but is not limited to, pay-related defined benefit plan.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanAssumptionsUsedCalculatingNetPeriodicBenefitCostRateOfCompensationIncrease
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	zbh_PensionPlansPostretirementAndOtherEmployeeBenefitsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	zbh_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RetirementPlanSponsorLocationAxis=country_US
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RetirementPlanSponsorLocationAxis=us-gaap_ForeignPlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: