Fair Value of Instruments (Estimated Fair Value and Carrying Amounts) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Global revolving credit facility
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred financing costs	$ 10,900	$ 7,600
Unsecured term loan
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred financing costs	6,100	1,300
Unsecured senior notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred financing costs	25,400	26,000
Fair value of long-term debt	15,600	17,900
Fair value of long-term debt	$ 15,600	17,900
Unsecured senior notes \| Five Point Eight Seven Five Percent Due Twenty Twenty [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate	5.875%
Unsecured senior notes \| 3.400% notes due 2020
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.40%
Unsecured senior notes \| 3.950% notes due 2022
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.95%
Unsecured senior notes \| 3.625% notes due 2022
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.625%
Unsecured senior notes \| 4.750% notes due 2025
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate	4.75%
Unsecured senior notes \| 4.750% notes due 2025
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate	4.25%
Mortgage loans
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred financing costs	$ 0	300
Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term debt	6,129,866	6,075,148
Fair value of long-term debt	6,129,866	6,075,148
Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term debt	5,880,996	5,934,241
Fair value of long-term debt	5,880,996	5,934,241
Level 2 \| Estimated Fair Value \| Global revolving credit facility
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	210,077	967,884
Level 2 \| Estimated Fair Value \| Unsecured term loan
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	1,488,498	924,568
Level 2 \| Estimated Fair Value \| Unsecured senior notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Exchangeable senior debentures	4,428,074	3,868,979
Level 2 \| Estimated Fair Value \| Mortgage loans
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Mortgage Loans	3,217	313,717
Level 2 \| Carrying Value \| Global revolving credit facility
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	210,077	967,884
Level 2 \| Carrying Value \| Unsecured term loan
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	1,488,498	924,568
Level 2 \| Carrying Value \| Unsecured senior notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Exchangeable senior debentures	4,179,171	3,738,606
Level 2 \| Carrying Value \| Mortgage loans
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Mortgage Loans	$ 3,250	$ 303,183

Fair value portion of borrowing which can be exchanged for a specified number of another security at the option of the issuer or the holder, for example, but not limited to, the entity's common stock.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Convertible Security
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6509036

+ Details

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

- Definition

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

+ 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 210.5-02.22(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

- 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_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_ThreePointNineFiveZeroNotesDueTwentyTwentyTwoMember
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_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=us-gaap_MortgagesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

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