Trade accounts receivable - Development of allowance for doubtful accounts (Details)	Mar. 31, 2019 EUR (€)
Development of Allowance For Doubtful Accounts
Allowance for doubtful accounts, beginning of period	€ 118,015,000
Allowance for doubtful accounts, end of period	€ 123,416,000

The amount of an allowance account used to record uncollectible trade receivables.

No definition available.

Name:	fms_AllowanceAccountForTradeReceivables
Namespace Prefix:	fms_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant