Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Statements of Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Revenues and other income:
Revenue	$ 779,425	$ 662,103	$ 2,275,539	$ 1,856,008
Earnings (losses) from unconsolidated affiliates		4	1	6
Investment income (loss)	(1,342)	373	(4,041)	208
Total revenues and other income	778,083	662,480	2,271,499	1,856,222
Costs and other deductions:
Direct costs	497,194	441,263	1,466,572	1,246,428
General and administrative expenses	66,813	65,010	209,207	192,114
Research and engineering	14,458	12,960	42,703	36,060
Depreciation and amortization	208,517	217,075	640,227	628,837
Interest expense	51,415	54,607	173,393	165,813
Other, net	22,907	5,559	114,597	29,173
Total costs and other deductions	861,304	796,474	2,646,699	2,298,425
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(83,221)	(133,994)	(375,200)	(442,203)
Income tax expense (benefit)	10,489	(14,709)	57,312	(59,814)
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax	(93,710)	(119,285)	(432,512)	(382,389)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	(13,933)	(27,134)	(14,592)	(43,077)
Net income (loss)	(107,643)	(146,419)	(447,104)	(425,466)
Less: Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest	(6,934)	(2,113)	(10,426)	(5,001)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors	(114,577)	(148,532)	(457,530)	(430,467)
Less: preferred stock dividends	(4,313)		(7,993)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders	(118,890)	(148,532)	(465,523)	(430,467)
Reportable Legal Entities
Revenues and other income:
Revenue	779,425	662,103
Earnings (losses) from unconsolidated affiliates		4
Investment income (loss)	(1,342)	373
Total revenues and other income	778,083	662,480
Costs and other deductions:
Direct costs	497,194	441,263
General and administrative expenses	66,813	65,010
Research and engineering	14,458	12,960
Depreciation and amortization	208,517	217,075
Interest expense	51,415	54,607
Other, net	22,907	5,559
Total costs and other deductions	861,304	796,474
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(83,221)	(133,994)
Income tax expense (benefit)	10,489	(14,709)
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax	(93,710)	(119,285)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	(13,933)	(27,134)
Net income (loss)	(107,643)	(146,419)
Less: Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest	(6,934)	(2,113)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors	(114,577)	(148,532)
Less: preferred stock dividends	(4,313)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders	(118,890)
Consolidating Adjustments
Revenues and other income:
Earnings (losses) from consolidated affiliates	3,163	242,768	271,002	746,229
Investment income (loss)	(3,168)	(2,980)	(9,317)	(8,940)
Total revenues and other income	(5)	239,788	261,685	737,289
Costs and other deductions:
General and administrative expenses	10	(490)	(498)	(994)
Other, net	(10)	490	498	994
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(5)	239,788	261,685	737,289
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax	(5)	239,788	261,685	737,289
Net income (loss)	(5)	239,788	261,685	737,289
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors	(5)	239,788	261,685	737,289
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders	(5)		261,685
Parent Company
Revenues and other income:
Earnings (losses) from consolidated affiliates	(112,066)	(144,837)
Investment income (loss)		1
Total revenues and other income	(112,066)	(144,836)
Costs and other deductions:
General and administrative expenses	2,294	3,705
Other, net	206	(9)
Intercompany interest expense	11
Total costs and other deductions	2,511	3,696
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(114,577)	(148,532)
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax	(114,577)	(148,532)
Net income (loss)	(114,577)	(148,532)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors	(114,577)	(148,532)
Less: preferred stock dividends	(4,313)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders	(118,890)
Parent Company | Reportable Legal Entities
Revenues and other income:
Earnings (losses) from consolidated affiliates			(448,485)	(420,300)
Investment income (loss)			2	16
Total revenues and other income			(448,483)	(420,284)
Costs and other deductions:
General and administrative expenses			7,531	10,362
Other, net			1,405	(170)
Intercompany interest expense			111	(9)
Total costs and other deductions			9,047	10,183
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes			(457,530)	(430,467)
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax			(457,530)	(430,467)
Net income (loss)			(457,530)	(430,467)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors			(457,530)	(430,467)
Less: preferred stock dividends			(7,993)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders			(465,523)
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Revenues and other income:
Earnings (losses) from consolidated affiliates	78,395	(31,085)
Investment income (loss)		(1)
Total revenues and other income	78,395	(31,086)
Costs and other deductions:
General and administrative expenses	94	243
Depreciation and amortization	31	31
Interest expense	51,590	56,429
Other, net	10,476	60
Total costs and other deductions	62,191	56,763
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	16,204	(87,849)
Income tax expense (benefit)	(14,304)	(21,003)
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax	30,508	(66,846)
Net income (loss)	30,508	(66,846)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors	30,508	(66,846)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders	30,508
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Revenues and other income:
Earnings (losses) from consolidated affiliates			161,420	(102,067)
Investment income (loss)				63
Total revenues and other income			161,420	(102,004)
Costs and other deductions:
General and administrative expenses			493	573
Depreciation and amortization			93	93
Interest expense			177,713	173,689
Other, net			10,476	19,033
Total costs and other deductions			188,775	193,388
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes			(27,355)	(295,392)
Income tax expense (benefit)			(43,418)	(71,530)
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax			16,063	(223,862)
Net income (loss)			16,063	(223,862)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors			16,063	(223,862)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders			16,063
Other Subsidiaries (Non-Guarantors)
Revenues and other income:
Revenue	779,425	662,103
Earnings (losses) from unconsolidated affiliates		4
Earnings (losses) from consolidated affiliates	30,508	(66,846)
Investment income (loss)	1,826	3,353
Total revenues and other income	811,759	598,614
Costs and other deductions:
Direct costs	497,194	441,263
General and administrative expenses	64,415	61,552
Research and engineering	14,458	12,960
Depreciation and amortization	208,486	217,044
Interest expense	(175)	(1,822)
Other, net	12,235	5,018
Intercompany interest expense	(11)
Total costs and other deductions	796,602	736,015
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	15,157	(137,401)
Income tax expense (benefit)	24,793	6,294
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax	(9,636)	(143,695)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	(13,933)	(27,134)
Net income (loss)	(23,569)	(170,829)
Less: Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest	(6,934)	(2,113)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors	(30,503)	$ (172,942)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders	$ (30,503)
Other Subsidiaries (Non-Guarantors) | Reportable Legal Entities
Revenues and other income:
Revenue			2,275,539	1,856,008
Earnings (losses) from unconsolidated affiliates			1	6
Earnings (losses) from consolidated affiliates			16,063	(223,862)
Investment income (loss)			5,274	9,069
Total revenues and other income			2,296,877	1,641,221
Costs and other deductions:
Direct costs			1,466,572	1,246,428
General and administrative expenses			201,681	182,173
Research and engineering			42,703	36,060
Depreciation and amortization			640,134	628,744
Interest expense			(4,320)	(7,876)
Other, net			102,218	9,316
Intercompany interest expense			(111)	9
Total costs and other deductions			2,448,877	2,094,854
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes			(152,000)	(453,633)
Income tax expense (benefit)			100,730	11,716
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of tax			(252,730)	(465,349)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax			(14,592)	(43,077)
Net income (loss)			(267,322)	(508,426)
Less: Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest			(10,426)	(5,001)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors			(277,748)	$ (513,427)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nabors common shareholders			$ (277,748)