Document and Entity Information (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011	May 01, 2012 Common Class A [Member]	May 01, 2012 Common Class B [Member]
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	CITIZENS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000024090
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float		$ 305,863,400
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding			48,962,938	1,001,714
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2012