DERIVATIVES AND HEDGING - Balance Sheet Offsetting (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Derivative Assets:
Derivative assets, at fair value	$ 4,703	$ 16,499
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Assets	4,536	7,950
Cash Collateral Received (Pledged)	0	0
Net Amount	167	8,549
Derivative Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	(18,648)	(8,951)
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Liabilities	(4,536)	(7,950)
Cash Collateral Pledged	(26)	(941)
Net Amount	(14,086)	(60)
Oaktree Capital Group Excluding Consolidated Funds
Derivative Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities		(7,865)
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Liabilities		(7,805)
Cash Collateral Pledged		0
Net Amount		(60)
Oaktree Capital Group Excluding Consolidated Funds | Foreign-currency forward contracts
Derivative Assets:
Derivative assets, at fair value	4,391	16,142
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Assets	4,391	7,805
Cash Collateral Received (Pledged)	0	0
Net Amount	0	8,337
Derivative Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	(18,311)	(7,805)
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Liabilities	(4,391)	(7,805)
Cash Collateral Pledged	0	0
Net Amount	(13,920)	0
Oaktree Capital Group Excluding Consolidated Funds | Interest-rate swaps
Derivative Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities		(60)
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Liabilities		0
Cash Collateral Pledged		0
Net Amount		(60)
Consolidated Funds
Derivative Assets:
Derivative assets, at fair value	312	357
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Assets	145	145
Cash Collateral Received (Pledged)	0	0
Net Amount	167	212
Derivative Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	(337)	(1,086)
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Liabilities	(145)	(145)
Cash Collateral Pledged	(26)	(941)
Net Amount	(166)	0
Consolidated Funds | Foreign-currency forward contracts
Derivative Assets:
Derivative assets, at fair value	146	216
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Assets	133	4
Cash Collateral Received (Pledged)	0	0
Net Amount	13	212
Derivative Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	(299)	(4)
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Liabilities	(133)	(4)
Cash Collateral Pledged	0	0
Net Amount	(166)	0
Consolidated Funds | Total-return and interest-rate swaps
Derivative Assets:
Derivative assets, at fair value	159	141
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Assets	9	141
Cash Collateral Received (Pledged)	0	0
Net Amount	150	0
Derivative Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	(9)	(1,082)
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Liabilities	(9)	(141)
Cash Collateral Pledged	0	(941)
Net Amount	0	$ 0
Consolidated Funds | Options and futures
Derivative Assets:
Derivative assets, at fair value	7
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Assets	3
Cash Collateral Received (Pledged)	0
Net Amount	4
Derivative Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	(29)
Gross Amounts Not Offset in Statements of Financial Condition
Derivative Liabilities	(3)
Cash Collateral Pledged	(26)
Net Amount	$ 0