Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - PPE (Details)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Period in which short-term investment become cash equivalents	90 days

Short Term Investment Considered Cash And Cash Equivalents Maturity Period

No definition available.

Name:	dlr_ShortTermInvestmentConsideredCashAndCashEquivalentsMaturityPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	dlr_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration