Income per Share - Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings per Share (Details) - shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	17,756,993	19,337,362	20,028,886
Weighted average of Operating Partnership common units not owned by Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	7,974,005	8,958,932	8,227,463
Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	1,489,983	1,695,765	1,876,584
Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	1,452,809	2,102,655	2,326,861
Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)		789,846	3,409,772
Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	1,269,035	2,105,116	2,329,584
Series J Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	1,475,721	1,679,534	1,858,622
Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	1,551,801	1,334,691
Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	2,543,639	670,823