Allowance for credit losses - Allowance for loan losses - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Financing Receivable
Troubled debt restructurings	$ 1,681,367	$ 1,668,368
Accruing
Financing Receivable
Troubled debt restructurings	1,437,023	1,394,538
COVID-19 \| Payment Deferral
Financing Receivable
Troubled debt restructurings	34,000
Commercial
Financing Receivable
Troubled debt restructurings	347,574	362,797
Outstanding commitments to lend additional funds to debtors owing receivables whose terms have been modified in troubled debt restructurings	7,000	14,000
Commercial \| Accruing
Financing Receivable
Troubled debt restructurings	$ 247,125	$ 259,246

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.

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableModificationsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of financing receivable modified as troubled debt restructuring.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 33
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121611835&loc=SL6953676-111524

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 40
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121585226&loc=d3e18845-111554

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableModificationsRecordedInvestment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of unfunded portion of contractual agreement to lend funds to borrower for financing receivable modified as troubled debt restructuring.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 40
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121585226&loc=d3e18794-111554

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LoansAndLeasesReceivableImpairedCommitmentToLend
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_InternalCreditAssessmentAxis=bpop_AccrualMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LiabilityForCatastropheClaimsByCatastrophicEventAxis=bpop_Covid19Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LoanRestructuringModificationAxis=us-gaap_PaymentDeferralMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivablePortfolioSegmentAxis=us-gaap_CommercialPortfolioSegmentMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: