Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Shareholders of Crawford & Company per Common Share (Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Common Class A
Numerator:
Allocation of undistributed earnings (loss)	$ 4,196	$ (2,360)	$ 10,003	$ (2,198)
Dividends paid	2,166	2,160	6,459	6,447
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders, basic	$ 6,362	$ (200)	$ 16,462	$ 4,249
Denominator:
Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic	30,922	30,807	30,731	30,668
Earnings (loss) per share - basic (usd per share)	$ 0.21	$ (0.01)	$ 0.54	$ 0.14
Common Class B
Numerator:
Allocation of undistributed earnings (loss)	$ 3,350	$ (1,891)	$ 8,037	$ (1,770)
Dividends paid	1,234	1,234	3,703	3,704
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders, basic	$ 4,584	$ (657)	$ 11,740	$ 1,934
Denominator:
Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic	24,690	24,690	24,690	24,690
Earnings (loss) per share - basic (usd per share)	$ 0.19	$ (0.03)	$ 0.48	$ 0.08