CONSOLIDATED SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY STATEMENTS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Ordinary Shares	Class A Ordinary Shares	Class X Ordinary Shares	Restricted Share Units	Additional Paid-in Capital	Treasury Shares	Retained Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Total Accenture plc Shareholder's Equity	Noncontrolling Interests
Beginning Balance at Aug. 31, 2014	$ 6,285,337	$ 57	$ 18	$ 1	$ 921,586	$ 3,347,392	$ (9,423,202)	$ 11,758,131	$ (871,948)	$ 5,732,035	$ 553,302
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2014		40,000	786,869,000	28,057,000
Beginning Balance Treasury (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2014							(158,410,000)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net Income	3,273,789							3,053,581		3,053,581	220,208
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(529,864)								(540,024)	(540,024)	10,160
Income tax benefit on share-based compensation plans	202,868					202,868				202,868
Purchases of Class A ordinary shares	(2,273,933)					112,476	$ (2,273,933)			(2,161,457)	(112,476)
Purchases of Class A ordinary shares (in shares)							(25,449,000)
Share-based compensation expense	680,329				634,195	46,134				680,329
Purchases/redemptions of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc. exchangeable shares and Class X ordinary shares	(179,056)					(170,168)				(170,168)	(8,888)
Purchases/redemptions of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc. exchangeable shares and Class X ordinary shares (in shares)				(4,722,000)
Issuances of Class A ordinary shares:
Employee share programs	554,149				(575,979)	878,939	$ 224,735			527,695	26,454
Employee share programs (in shares)			11,649,000				5,763,000
Upon redemption of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares (in shares)			6,240,000
Upon redemption of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares	0					29,815				29,815	(29,815)
Dividends	(1,353,471)				51,401			(1,328,188)		(1,276,787)	(76,684)
Other, net	(12,577)					69,354		(13,516)		55,838	(68,415)
Ending Balance at Aug. 31, 2015	6,647,571	$ 57	$ 18	$ 1	1,031,203	4,516,810	$ (11,472,400)	13,470,008	(1,411,972)	6,133,725	513,846
Ending Balance Treasury (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2015							(178,096,000)
Ending Balance (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2015		40,000	804,758,000	23,335,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net Income	4,349,603							4,111,892		4,111,892	237,711
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(257,629)								(249,748)	(249,748)	(7,881)
Income tax benefit on share-based compensation plans	112,562					112,562				112,562
Purchases of Class A ordinary shares	(2,532,796)					103,760	$ (2,532,796)			(2,429,036)	(103,760)
Purchases of Class A ordinary shares (in shares)							(23,848,000)
Cancellation of treasury shares	0		$ (4)			(2,923,579)	$ 11,199,016	(8,275,433)		0
Cancellation of treasury shares (in shares)			(163,016,000)				163,016,000
Share-based compensation expense	758,176				701,923	56,253				758,176
Purchases/redemptions of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc. exchangeable shares and Class X ordinary shares	(72,193)			$ (1)		(68,481)				(68,482)	(3,711)
Purchases/redemptions of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc. exchangeable shares and Class X ordinary shares (in shares)				(1,418,000)
Issuances of Class A ordinary shares:
Employee share programs	591,357		$ 1		(785,141)	1,138,304	$ 214,273			567,437	23,920
Employee share programs (in shares)			11,686,000				5,358,000
Upon redemption of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares (in shares)			775,000
Upon redemption of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares	0					3,541				3,541	(3,541)
Dividends	(1,438,138)				51,137			(1,423,316)		(1,372,179)	(65,959)
Other, net	30,863					(14,441)		(3,191)		(12,626)	43,489
Ending Balance at Aug. 31, 2016	8,189,376	$ 57	$ 15	$ 0	1,004,128	2,924,729	$ (2,591,907)	7,879,960	(1,661,720)	7,555,262	634,114
Ending Balance Treasury (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2016							(33,570,000)
Ending Balance (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2016		40,000	654,203,000	21,917,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net Income	3,634,932							3,445,149		3,445,149	189,783
Other comprehensive income (loss)	598,660								566,936	566,936	31,724
Purchases of Class A ordinary shares	$ (2,552,880)					98,039	$ (2,552,880)			(2,454,841)	(98,039)
Purchases of Class A ordinary shares (in shares)	(21,257,759)						(21,258,000)
Cancellation of treasury shares	$ 0		$ (1)			(413,509)	$ 3,014,356	$ (2,600,846)		0
Cancellation of treasury shares (in shares)			(26,858,000)				26,858,000
Share-based compensation expense	795,235				755,011	40,224				795,235
Purchases/redemptions of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc. exchangeable shares and Class X ordinary shares	(96,171)					(92,160)				(92,160)	(4,011)
Purchases/redemptions of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc. exchangeable shares and Class X ordinary shares (in shares)				(1,386,000)
Issuances of Class A ordinary shares:
Employee share programs	676,045				(715,790)	975,322	$ 481,341			650,261	25,784
Employee share programs (in shares)			10,861,000				4,521,000	(90,612,000)
Upon redemption of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares (in shares)			760,000
Upon redemption of Accenture Holdings plc ordinary shares	0					5,595				5,595	(5,595)
Dividends	(1,567,578)				51,677			$ (1,550,411)		(1,498,734)	(68,844)
Other, net	32,581				0	(21,841)		(1,385)		(23,226)	55,807
Ending Balance at Aug. 31, 2017	$ 9,710,200	$ 57	$ 14	$ 0	$ 1,095,026	$ 3,516,399	$ (1,649,090)	$ 7,081,855	$ (1,094,784)	$ 8,949,477	$ 760,723
Ending Balance Treasury (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2017							(23,449,000)
Ending Balance (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2017		40,000	638,966,000	20,531,000