CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Millions	Total	Common stock	Treasury stock	Paid-in capital	Employee stock loan receivable	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	Retained earnings	Noncontrolling interests
Beginning Balance at Aug. 31, 2014	$ 20,617	$ 80	$ (3,197)	$ 1,172	$ (5)	$ 136	$ 22,327	$ 104
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2014		950,386,889
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	4,279						4,220	59
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(356)					(350)		(6)
Dividends declared	(1,458)						(1,458)
Exchange of Walgreen Co. shares for Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. shares		$ (69)		69
Issuance of shares for Alliance Boots acquisition	10,977	$ 1		10,976
Issuance of shares for Alliance Boots acquisition (in shares)		144,333,468
Treasury stock purchases	(1,226)		(1,226)
Treasury stock purchases (in shares)		(16,250,190)
Employee stock purchase and option plans	502		446	56
Employee stock purchase and option plans (in shares)		11,440,177
Stock-based compensation	109			109
Acquisition of noncontrolling interest	(2,559)			(2,429)				(130)
Employee stock loan receivable	3				3
Noncontrolling interests in businesses acquired	412							412
Ending Balance at Aug. 31, 2015	31,300	$ 12	(3,977)	9,953	(2)	(214)	25,089	439
Ending Balance (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2015		1,089,910,344
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	4,191						4,173	18
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(2,834)					(2,778)		(56)
Dividends declared	(1,578)						(1,578)
Treasury stock purchases	(1,152)		(1,152)
Treasury stock purchases (in shares)		(13,815,558)
Employee stock purchase and option plans	238		195	43
Employee stock purchase and option plans (in shares)		6,891,805
Stock-based compensation	115			115
Employee stock loan receivable	1				1
Ending Balance at Aug. 31, 2016	30,281	$ 12	(4,934)	10,111	(1)	(2,992)	27,684	401
Ending Balance (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2016		1,082,986,591
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	4,101	$ 0	0	0	0	0	4,078	23
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(95)	0	0	0	0	(59)	0	(36)
Dividends declared	(1,723)	0	0	0	0	0	(1,625)	(98)
Treasury stock purchases	(5,220)	$ 0	(5,220)	0	0	0	0	0
Treasury stock purchases (in shares)		(64,589,677)
Employee stock purchase and option plans	218	$ 0	183	34	1	0	0	0
Employee stock purchase and option plans (in shares)		5,452,156
Stock-based compensation	91		0	91	0	0	0	0
Noncontrolling interests in businesses acquired	621			103				518
Ending Balance at Aug. 31, 2017	$ 28,274	$ 12	$ (9,971)	$ 10,339	$ 0	$ (3,051)	$ 30,137	$ 808
Ending Balance (in shares) at Aug. 31, 2017		1,023,849,070