Commitments and Contingencies - Financial Guarantees (Details) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Summary of total maximum amount of financial guarantees issued
2020	$ 215,301
2021	3,804
Thereafter	112
Total	$ 219,217

Financial guarantees future maximum amounts issued.

No definition available.

Name:	nbr_FinancialGuaranteesFutureMaximumAmountsIssuedAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	nbr_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of the guarantee obligations maximum exposure maturing after the third fiscal year following the latest fiscal year ended.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nbr_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposureAfterYearThree
Namespace Prefix:	nbr_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of the Guarantee obligations maximum exposure maturing in the remainder of the fiscal year following the latest fiscal year ended.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nbr_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposureInYearOne
Namespace Prefix:	nbr_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of the guarantee obligations maximum exposure maturing in the third fiscal year following the latest fiscal year ended.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nbr_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposureInYearTwo
Namespace Prefix:	nbr_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Maximum potential amount of future payments (undiscounted) the guarantor could be required to make under the guarantee or each group of similar guarantees before reduction for potential recoveries under recourse or collateralization provisions.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 460
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (b)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118943654&loc=d3e12069-110248

+ Details

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