SHARE-BASED AND OTHER COMPENSATION PROGRAMS - Fair Value Stock Option Assumptions (Details) - Parent - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
AXA Ordinary Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividend yield	6.49%	6.29%	6.38%
Expected volatility	26.60%	23.68%	29.24%
Risk-free interest rates	0.33%	0.92%	1.54%
Expected life in years	8 years 1 month 6 days	8 years 2 months 12 days	8 years 2 months 12 days
Weighted average fair value per option at grant date (in dollars per share)	$ 2.06	$ 1.73	$ 2.89
AB Holding Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividend yield	7.10%	7.10%	8.40%
Expected volatility	31.00%	32.10%	48.90%
Risk-free interest rates	1.30%	1.50%	1.50%
Expected life in years	6 years	6 years	6 years
Weighted average fair value per option at grant date (in dollars per share)	$ 2.75	$ 4.13	$ 4.78
AB Holding Units \| Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividend yield			8.00%
Expected volatility			49.70%
Risk-free interest rates			0.80%
AB Holding Units \| Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividend yield			8.30%
Expected volatility			49.80%
Risk-free interest rates			1.70%

The estimated dividend rate (a percentage of the share price) to be paid (expected dividends) to holders of the underlying shares over the option's term.

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- Definition

The estimated measure of the percentage by which a share price is expected to fluctuate during a period. Volatility also may be defined as a probability-weighted measure of the dispersion of returns about the mean. The volatility of a share price is the standard deviation of the continuously compounded rates of return on the share over a specified period. That is the same as the standard deviation of the differences in the natural logarithms of the stock prices plus dividends, if any, over the period.

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- Definition

The risk-free interest rate assumption that is used in valuing an option on its own shares.

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- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the reporting period as calculated by applying the disclosed option pricing methodology.

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- Definition

Expected term of share-based compensation awards, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (f)(2)(i)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB Topic 14.D.2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27013229&loc=d3e301413-122809

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