Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	May. 11, 2016
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	ANAVEX LIFE SCIENCES CORP.
Entity Central Index Key	0001314052
Document Type	10-Q
Trading Symbol	AVXL
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2016
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity a Voluntary Filer	No
Entity's Reporting Status Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		35,710,862
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016