Fair Value of Instruments (Estimated Fair Value And Carrying Amounts) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term debt	$ 6,478,572	$ 6,075,148
Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term debt	6,182,943	5,934,241
Global revolving credit facility
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred financing costs	12,500	7,600
Unsecured term loan
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred financing costs	6,800	1,300
Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term debt	17,461	17,914
Deferred financing costs	28,100	26,000
Mortgage Loans
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred financing costs	$ 100	300
5.875% notes due 2020 \| Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	5.875%
3.400% notes due 2020 \| Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	3.40%
3.950% notes due 2022 \| Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	3.95%
3.625% notes due 2022 \| Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	3.625%
4.750% notes due 2025 \| Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	4.75%
4.250% notes due 2025 \| Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	4.25%
Level 2 \| Global revolving credit facility \| Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	$ 101,007	967,884
Level 2 \| Global revolving credit facility \| Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	101,007	967,884
Level 2 \| Unsecured term loan \| Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	1,552,426	924,568
Level 2 \| Unsecured term loan \| Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	1,552,426	924,568
Level 2 \| Senior Notes \| Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Unsecured senior notes	4,570,240	3,868,979
Level 2 \| Senior Notes \| Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Unsecured senior notes	4,280,669	3,738,606
Level 2 \| Mortgage Loans \| Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Mortgage Loans	254,899	313,717
Level 2 \| Mortgage Loans \| Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Mortgage Loans	$ 248,841	$ 303,183

Contractual interest rate for funds borrowed, under the debt agreement.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22(a)(1))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount, after accumulated amortization, of debt issuance costs. Includes, but is not limited to, legal, accounting, underwriting, printing, and registration costs.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64930785&loc=d3e28555-108399

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.17)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

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

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Definition

Fair value portion of contractual arrangement with a lender under which borrowings can be made up to a specific amount at any point in time.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Line-of-Credit Arrangement
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6517033

+ Details

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

- Definition

Fair value portion of contractual obligation to pay money on demand or on fixed or determinable dates.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Definition

The fair value amount of long-term debt whether such amount is presented as a separate caption or as a parenthetical disclosure. Additionally, this element may be used in connection with the fair value disclosures required in the footnote disclosures to the financial statements. The element may be used in both the balance sheet and disclosure in the same submission.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Definition

Fair value portion of notes payable.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.19,20,22)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

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

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByMeasurementBasisAxis=us-gaap_EstimateOfFairValueFairValueDisclosureMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByMeasurementBasisAxis=us-gaap_CarryingReportedAmountFairValueDisclosureMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=dlr_GlobalRevolvingCreditFacilityMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=dlr_UnsecuredTermLoanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=us-gaap_SeniorNotesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=us-gaap_MortgagesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=dlr_FivePointEightSevenFivePercentDueTwentyTwentyMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=dlr_ThreePointFourZeroZeroNotesDueTwentyTwentyMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=dlr_A3.950NotesDue2022Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=dlr_ThreePointSixTwoFivePercentNotesDueTwentyTwentyTwoMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=dlr_FourPointSevenFiveZeroNotesDueTwentyTwentyFiveMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=dlr_FourPointTwoFivePercentNotesDueTwentyTwentyFiveMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: