Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016 shares
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000051143
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2016
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	955,844,217
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	IBM