RETIREMENT AND PROFIT SHARING PLANS - Information for Material Defined Benefit Pension Plans with Accumulated Benefit Obligations in Excess of Plan Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2017	Aug. 31, 2016
UNITED STATES
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	$ 138,476	$ 2,017,437
Fair value of plan assets	0	1,801,435
Non-U.S. Plans
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	810,330	1,233,952
Fair value of plan assets	$ 208,559	$ 627,738

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanDisclosureLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of accumulated benefit obligation for defined benefit pension plan with accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82843861&loc=d3e2417-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanPensionPlansWithAccumulatedBenefitObligationsInExcessOfPlanAssetsAggregateAccumulatedBenefitObligation
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value of plan assets for defined benefit pension plan with accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanPensionPlansWithAccumulatedBenefitObligationsInExcessOfPlanAssetsAggregateFairValueOfPlanAssets
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RetirementPlanSponsorLocationAxis=country_US
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RetirementPlanSponsorLocationAxis=acn_NonUSPensionPlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: