CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY (unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	General Partner Preferred Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	General Partner Common Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Limited Partners Common Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Total Partners' Capital Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Interest Rate Swap	Total Partners' Capital Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Redeemable Interests Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Interest Rate Swap	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Joint Ventures Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Interest Rate Swap	Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests -- Operating Partnership	Preferred Stock	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Dividends in Excess of Earnings	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net Interest Rate Swap	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net	Total Stockholders' Equity Interest Rate Swap	Total Stockholders' Equity	Noncontrolling Interests in Operating Partnership Interest Rate Swap	Noncontrolling Interests in Operating Partnership	Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Joint Ventures	Total Noncontrolling Interests Interest Rate Swap	Total Noncontrolling Interests	Interest Rate Swap	Total
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Number of units (units)	50,650,000	206,425,656	10,580,884
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018												$ 15,832	$ 1,249,560	$ 2,051	$ 11,355,751	$ (2,633,071)		$ (115,647)		$ 9,858,644		$ 906,510	$ 93,056		$ 999,566		$ 10,858,210
Beginning balance (shares) at Dec. 31, 2018														206,425,656
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Conversion of common units to common stock														$ 15	135,994					136,009		(136,009)			(136,009)
Conversion of common units to common stock (shares)														1,517,876
Issuance of unvested restricted stock, net of forfeitures (shares)														245,373
Common stock offering costs															(375)					(375)							(375)
Issuance of common stock, net of offering costs (shares)	(8,400,000)	0
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan		$ 2,259			$ 2,259						$ 2,259				2,259					2,259							2,259
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan (shares)		25,234												25,234
Issuance of preferred stock, net of offering costs	$ (203,423)				(203,423)						(203,423)		203,423							203,423							203,423
Amortization of unearned compensation on share-based awards		$ 8,400			8,400						8,400				8,400					8,400							8,400
Reclassification of vested share-based awards															(7,320)					(7,320)		7,320			7,320
Adjustment to redeemable noncontrolling interests												1,943			(1,943)					(1,943)							(1,943)
Dividends declared on preferred stock																(20,329)				(20,329)							(20,329)
Dividends and distributions on common stock and common and incentive units												(169)				(224,802)				(224,802)		(10,181)			(10,181)		(234,983)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures, net of distributions																							28,219		28,219		28,219
Net income (loss)	20,329	$ 96,483	$ 4,228		121,040	$ 72			$ (115)		120,925	72				116,812				116,812		4,228	(115)		4,113		120,925
Other comprehensive income (loss)-foreign currency translation adjustments					30,880			$ 30,880	0		30,880							29,567		29,567		1,313			1,313		30,880
Decrease in other assets related to change in fair value of interest rate swaps				$ (3,775)			$ (3,775)			$ (3,775)	(3,775)						$ (3,614)		$ (3,614)		$ (161)			$ (161)		$ (3,775)	(3,775)
Other comprehensive loss-reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense					(2,094)			(2,094)			(2,094)							(2,005)		(2,005)		(89)			(89)		(2,094)
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2019												17,678	1,452,983	$ 2,066	11,492,766	(2,767,708)		(91,699)		10,088,408		$ 772,931	121,160		894,091		10,982,499
Ending balance (shares) at Mar. 31, 2019														208,214,139
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Conversion of limited partner common units to general partner common units (units)		1,517,876	(1,517,876)
Noncontrolling interests in operating partnership converted to shares of common stock		$ 136,009	$ (136,009)																								136,009
Issuance of unvested restricted stock, net of forfeitures (units)		245,373
Payment of offering costs		$ (375)			(375)						(375)
Issuance of common units, net of forfeitures (units)			410,451
Reclassification of vested share-based awards		(7,320)	$ 7,320
Adjustment to redeemable noncontrolling interests		(1,943)			(1,943)	1,943					(1,943)
Partners' Capital Account, Distributions	$ (20,329)	(224,802)	$ (10,181)		(255,312)	(169)					(255,312)
Distributions From Noncontrolling Interests In Consolidated Joint Ventures Subsidiary									(28,219)		(28,219)
Cumulative effect adjustment from adoption of new accounting standard		$ (6,318)			(6,318)						(6,318)					(6,318)				(6,318)							$ (6,318)
Number of units (units)	59,050,000	208,214,139	9,473,459
Number of units (units)	58,250,000	208,900,758	8,843,155																			217,743,913					208,900,758
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2019												41,465	1,434,420	$ 2,073	11,577,320	(3,046,579)		(87,922)		9,879,312		$ 708,163	20,625		728,788		$ 10,608,100
Beginning balance (shares) at Dec. 31, 2019														208,900,758
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Conversion of common units to common stock														$ 6	52,231					52,237		(52,237)			(52,237)
Conversion of common units to common stock (shares)														592,953
Common units and share-based awards issued in connection with InterXion combination		$ 6,975,252			6,975,252						6,975,252
Common units and share-based awards issued in connection with InterXion combination (in shares)		54,298,595
Issuance of common stock, net of offering costs															6,505					6,505							6,505
Issuance of common stock, net of offering costs (shares)														50,000
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan		$ 2,638			2,638						2,638				2,638					2,638							2,638
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan (shares)		25,234												25,234
Shares repurchased and retired to satisfy tax withholding upon vesting		$ (3,068)			(3,068)						(3,068)				(4,318)					(4,318)							(4,318)
Amortization of unearned compensation on share-based awards		$ 14,430			14,430						14,430				15,680					15,680							15,680
Vesting of restricted stock, net (shares)		(271,978)												(271,978)
Reclassification of vested share-based awards															(15,007)					(15,007)		15,007			15,007
Adjustment to redeemable noncontrolling interests												2,992			(2,992)					(2,992)							(2,992)
Dividends declared on preferred stock																(21,155)				(21,155)							(21,155)
Dividends and distributions on common stock and common and incentive units												(175)				(295,630)				(295,630)		(9,022)			(9,022)		(304,652)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures, net of distributions												1,052											39,476		39,476		39,476
Net income (loss)	$ 21,155	$ 202,859	$ 7,653		231,667	(2,906)			(63)		231,604	(2,906)				224,014				224,014		7,653	(63)		7,590		231,604
Other comprehensive income (loss)-foreign currency translation adjustments					(357,202)	(2,401)		(357,202)	0		(357,202)	(2,401)						(344,350)		(344,350)		(12,852)			(12,852)		(357,202)
Decrease in other assets related to change in fair value of interest rate swaps				$ (11,838)			$ (11,838)			$ (11,838)	(11,838)						$ (11,412)		$ (11,412)		$ (426)			$ (426)		$ (11,838)	(11,838)
Common stock and share-based awards issued in connection with InterXion combination														$ 543	6,974,709					6,975,252							6,975,252
Common stock and share-based awards issued in connection with InterXion combination (shares)														54,298,595
Other comprehensive loss-reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense					(558)			$ (558)			(558)							(538)		(538)		(20)			(20)		(558)
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2020												$ 40,027	$ 1,434,420	$ 2,622	$ 18,606,766	$ (3,139,350)		$ (444,222)		$ 16,460,236		$ 656,266	$ 60,038		$ 716,304		17,176,540
Ending balance (shares) at Mar. 31, 2020														263,595,562
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Conversion of limited partner common units to general partner common units (units)		592,953	(592,953)
Noncontrolling interests in operating partnership converted to shares of common stock		$ 52,237	$ (52,237)																								$ 52,237
Issuance of common units, net of forfeitures (units)			223,184
Reclassification of vested share-based awards		(15,007)	$ 15,007
Adjustment to redeemable noncontrolling interests		(2,992)			(2,992)	2,992					(2,992)
Partners' Capital Account, Distributions	$ (21,155)	$ (295,630)	$ (9,022)		$ (325,807)	(175)					(325,807)
Distributions From Noncontrolling Interests In Consolidated Joint Ventures Subsidiary						$ (1,052)			$ (39,476)		$ (39,476)
Number of units (units)	58,250,000	263,595,562	8,473,386																			272,068,948					263,595,562