Contingencies Verdicts And Post-Trial Developments (Details) In Millions, unless otherwise specified											4 Months Ended								4 Months Ended
	May 01, 2012 ITALY Cases With Verdicts And Post Trial Developments [Member]	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member]	May 01, 2011 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member]	May 01, 2010 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member]	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] Bernhardt [Member] USD ($)	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] Bernhardt [Member] BRL	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] Laszlo [Member] USD ($)	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] Laszlo [Member] BRL	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] ITALY	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] Brazil [Member]	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] Brazil [Member] Cases With Verdicts And Post Trial Developments [Member] Bernhardt [Member]	May 01, 2012 Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] Brazil [Member] Cases With Verdicts And Post Trial Developments [Member] Laszlo [Member]	May 01, 2012 Smoking And Health Class Actions [Member]	May 01, 2011 Smoking And Health Class Actions [Member]	May 01, 2010 Smoking And Health Class Actions [Member]	May 01, 2012 Smoking And Health Class Actions [Member] The Smoker Health Defense Association (ADESF) [Member] USD ($)	May 01, 2012 Smoking And Health Class Actions [Member] The Smoker Health Defense Association (ADESF) [Member] BRL	May 01, 2012 Smoking And Health Class Actions [Member] Brazil [Member]	May 01, 2012 Smoking And Health Class Actions [Member] Brazil [Member] Cases With Verdicts And Post Trial Developments [Member] The Smoker Health Defense Association (ADESF) [Member]
Cases Brought Against Company	3	76	93	119					5	31			10	11	9			2
Date											September 2009	May 2011							February 2004
Verdict											The Civil Court of Rio de Janeiro found for plaintiff and ordered Philip Morris Brasil to pay R$13,000 (approximately $7,400) in “moral damages.”	The Civil Court of São Vicente found for plaintiff and ordered Philip Morris Brasil to pay damages of R$31,333 (approximately $17,800), plus future costs for cessation and medical treatment of smoking related diseases.							The Civil Court of São Paulo found defendants liable without hearing evidence. The court did not assess moral or actual damages, which were to be assessed in a second phase of the case. The size of the class was not defined in the ruling.
Post-Trial Developments											Philip Morris Brasil filed its appeal against the decision on the merits with the Court of Appeals in November 2009. In February 2010, without addressing the merits, the Court of Appeals annulled the trial court’s decision and remanded the case to the trial court to issue a new ruling, which was required to address certain compensatory damage claims made by the plaintiff that the trial court did not address in its original ruling. In July 2010, the trial court reinstated its original decision, while specifically rejecting the compensatory damages claim. Philip Morris Brasil appealed this decision. In March 2011, the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision and denied Philip Morris Brasil’s appeal. The Court of Appeals increased the amount of damages awarded to the plaintiff to R$100,000 (approximately $56,700). Philip Morris Brasil filed an appeal in June 2011.	In June 2011, Philip Morris Brasil filed an appeal. In December 2011, the Appellate Court reversed the trial court decision. In February 2012, plaintiff appealed the decision.							In April 2004, the court clarified its ruling, awarding “moral damages” of R$1,000 (approximately $570) per smoker per full year of smoking plus interest at the rate of 1% per month, as of the date of the ruling. The court did not award actual damages, which were to be assessed in the second phase of the case. The size of the class was not estimated. Defendants appealed to the São Paulo Court of Appeals, which annulled the ruling in November 2008, finding that the trial court had inappropriately ruled without hearing evidence and returned the case to the trial court for further proceedings. In May 2011, the trial court dismissed the claim. Plaintiff has appealed. In addition, the defendants filed a constitutional appeal to the Federal Supreme Tribunal on the basis that the plaintiff did not have standing to bring the lawsuit. This appeal is still pending.
Amount Loss Contingency Actions Taken By Court Arbitrator Or Mediator					$ 7,400	13,000	$ 17,800	31,333								$ 570	1,000
Increased Amount, Loss Contingency, Actions Taken By Court, Arbitrator Or Mediator.					$ 56,700	100,000
Smoking and health loss contingency accrual interest rate																1.00%	1.00%