Business Combinations and Divestitures (Details)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended					9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Oct. 02, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Oct. 02, 2011 USD ($)	Apr. 01, 2012 Bystolic [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 Synthes, Inc [Member] USD ($)		Oct. 02, 2011 Synthes, Inc [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 Synthes, Inc [Member] USD ($) years	Oct. 02, 2011 Synthes, Inc [Member] USD ($)	Jun. 14, 2012 Synthes, Inc [Member] USD ($)		Jun. 14, 2012 Synthes, Inc [Member] CHF	Sep. 30, 2012 Crucell .N. V [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 02, 2011 Crucell .N. V [Member] USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Inventory step-up						$ 165,000,000			$ 165,000,000		$ 400,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid											6,902,000,000	[1]
Aquirees Common Stock Outstanding											118,700,000		118,700,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Intangible Assets Acquired [Abstract]
Customer relationships						9,950,000,000			9,950,000,000
Patents and technology						1,495,000,000			1,495,000,000
Total amortizable intangibles						11,445,000,000			11,445,000,000						700,000,000
Trademark and Trade name						1,420,000,000			1,420,000,000
In-process research and development						64,000,000			64,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation [Abstract]
Cash and Cash equivalents											2,749,000,000
Inventory											889,000,000	[2]
Accounts Receivable, net											738,000,000
Other current assets											249,000,000
Property, plant and equipment											1,253,000,000
Goodwill						5,444,000,000			5,444,000,000		5,371,000,000				500,000,000
Intangible assets						12,929,000,000			12,929,000,000		12,929,000,000
Other non-current assets											46,000,000
Total Assets Acquired											24,224,000,000
Current liabilities											825,000,000
Deferred Taxes											2,731,000,000
Other non-current liabilities											431,000,000
Total Liabilities Assumed											3,987,000,000
Net Assets Acquired						20,237,000,000			20,237,000,000		20,237,000,000
Intangible asset write-downs			2,047,000,000	160,000,000										500,000,000
Exchange rate used for acquisition						0.95674			0.95674				55.65
Share exchanged for acquirees stock											1.717		1.717
Business Acquisition, Initial Consideration Transferred											19,700,000,000
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information [Abstract]
Net Sales								16,949,000,000	51,336,000,000	51,558,000,000
Net Earnings								3,207,000,000	8,734,000,000	9,346,000,000
Diluted Net Earnings per Common Share								$ 1.15	$ 3.11	$ 3.37
Business Combinations and Divestitures (Textuals) [Abstract]
Acquisition transaction and integration costs		(316,000,000)	(234,000,000)	(214,000,000)					622,000,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred											20,200,000,000
Discount Rate Used in Probability of Success in Research and Development									14.00%
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses		578,000,000			357,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price															2,000,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Intangible Assets Not Amortizable															1,000,000,000
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Acquisitions						13,335,000,000	[3]
Stock Repurchased During Period, Value						203,700,000
Accelerated Share Repurchases, Settlement Payment or Receipt	12,900,000,000		12,900,000,000
Incremental common shares attributable to accelerated share repurchase agreements	17,000,000	0	17,000,000	0
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life									21
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Useful Life, Minimum									7
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Useful Life, Maximum									22
Total	17,052,000,000	16,005,000,000	49,666,000,000	48,775,000,000		989,000,000			1,182,000,000
Synthes Net earnings	2,629,000,000	3,202,000,000	7,947,000,000	9,454,000,000		149,000,000			177,000,000
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired			4,423,000,000	2,469,000,000					17,500,000,000
Common Stock Share Price											65.45
Research and Development in process impairment charge	$ 679,000,000	$ 0	$ 1,108,000,000	$ 0										$ 429,000,000

[1] Synthes common stock outstanding of 118.7 million shares as of the acquisition date and CHF/USD exchange rate of .95674

[2] Includes $0.4 billion related to inventory step-up.

[3] Johnson & Johnson closing stock price on the New York Stock Exchange as of acquisition date of $65.45 per share.