Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018 shares
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP /DE/
Entity Central Index Key	0000797468
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	755,025,938