Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Feb. 29, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Document Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Central Index Key	0001390213
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Registrant Name	CORPORATE PROPERTY ASSOCIATES 17 - GLOBAL INC
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Common Stock Shares Outstanding		339,867,059
Entity Public Float			$ 0