Name:	afl_CollateralRequirementsMinimumPercentageCollateralToFairValueOfSecuritiesLoanedUnderSecurityLendingTransactions
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Discussion of Perpetual Securities Interest Rate

No definition available.

Name:	afl_DiscussionOfPerpetualSecuritiesInterestRate
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Number of investments reclassified during the period from the held-to-maturity portfolio to the available-for-sale portfolio.

No definition available.

Name:	afl_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesTransferredToAvailableForSaleSecuritiesNumberOfInvestments
Namespace Prefix:	afl_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Number of Impaired Tier I Securities

No definition available.

Name:	afl_NumberOfImpairedTierISecurities
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Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Number of Issuers

No definition available.

Name:	afl_NumberOfIssuers
Namespace Prefix:	afl_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Number of issuers that comprise the majority of the unrealized losses on investments

No definition available.

Name:	afl_NumberOfIssuersThatCompriseMajorityOfUnrealizedLossesOnInvestments
Namespace Prefix:	afl_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Number of issuers that comprise the minority of the unrealized losses on investments

No definition available.

Name:	afl_NumberOfIssuersThatCompriseMinorityOfUnrealizedLossesOnInvestments
Namespace Prefix:	afl_
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Percentage of Unrealized Losses from Certain Number of Investments

No definition available.

Name:	afl_PercentageOfUnrealizedLossesFromCertainNumberOfInvestments
Namespace Prefix:	afl_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

Perpetual securities economic maturity period.

No definition available.

Name:	afl_PerpetualSecuritiesEconomicMaturityPeriod
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Period Type:	duration

Perpetual securities floating short term interest rate above market index.

No definition available.

Name:	afl_PerpetualSecuritiesFloatingShortTermInterestRateBasisAboveMarketIndex
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Securities Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Average Losses, Per Investment

No definition available.

Name:	afl_SecuritiesContinuousUnrealizedLossPositionAggregateAverageLossesPerInvestment
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This item represents the excess of [amortized] cost over fair value of securities in a loss position and which are categorized as available-for-sale or held-to-maturity.

No definition available.

Name:	afl_SecuritiesContinuousUnrealizedLossPositionAggregateLosses
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Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregate Losses, Percentage Investment Grade or Below Investment Grade.

No definition available.

Name:	afl_SecuritiesContinuousUnrealizedLossPositionAggregateLossesPercentageInvestmentGradeOrBelowInvestmentGrade
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This item represents the fair value of securities in an unrealized loss position which are categorized as available-for-sale or held-to-maturity.

No definition available.

Name:	afl_SecuritiesContinuousUnrealizedLossPositionFairValue
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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

This item represents the total of all debt securities grouped by maturity dates, at cost, net of adjustments including accretion, amortization, collection of cash, previous other-than-temporary impairments recognized in earnings (less any cumulative-effect adjustments, as defined), and fair value hedge accounting adjustments, if any, which are classified neither as held-to-maturity nor trading securities.

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-Publisher FASB

-Name FASB Staff Position (FSP)

-Number FAS115-1/124-1

-Paragraph 7

-Footnote 2

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Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.2)

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For an unclassified balance sheet, total of debt securities categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor trading.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

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-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Subparagraph (b)-(g)

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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For an entity that discloses a concentration risk in relation to quantitative amount, which serves as the "benchmark" (or denominator) in the equation, this concept represents the concentration percentage derived from the division.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 275

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-Section 50

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-Topic 275

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This item represents the net total realized and unrealized gain (loss) included in earnings for the period as a result of selling or holding marketable securities categorized as trading, available-for-sale, or held-to-maturity, including the unrealized holding gain (loss) of held-to-maturity securities transferred to the trading security category and the cumulative unrealized gain (loss) which was included in other comprehensive income (a separate component of shareholders' equity) for available-for-sale securities transferred to trading securities during the period. Additionally, this item would include any gains (losses) realized during the period from the sale of investments accounted for under the cost method of accounting and losses recognized for other than temporary impairments (OTTI) of the subject investments.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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-Section S99

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.7(c),9(a))

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Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Article 5

-Section 03

-Paragraph 7

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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Name:	us-gaap_GainLossOnInvestments
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For any transfer of securities categorized as held-to-maturity, this item represents the net carrying amount of the transferred security to another category of investments in debt and equity securities (trading or available-for-sale).

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 115

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-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

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This item represents the unrealized gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income (a separate component of shareholders' equity) as a result of securities categorized as held-to-maturity being transferred to the available-for-sale securities category.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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This item represents the total realized gain (loss) included in earnings for the period as a result of selling marketable securities categorized as trading, available-for-sale, or held-to-maturity.

No definition available.