Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	NUVEEN INVESTMENT FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Apr. 30, 2013
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The investment objective of the Fund is long-term growth of capital and income.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “What Share Classes We Offer” on page 33 of the Fund’s prospectus, “How to Reduce Your Sales Charge” on page 36 of the prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-70 of the Fund’s statement of additional information.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]	rr_ShareholderFeesCaption	Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination	April 30, 2014
Portfolio Turnover [Heading]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading	Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock	The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 200% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	200.00%
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block]	rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock	The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts	You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount	50,000
Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]	rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent	Other Expenses have been restated to reflect current contractual fees.
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same, and the contractual fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond April 30, 2014. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text]	rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption	Redemption
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text]	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption	No Redemption
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. infrastructure-related companies. Infrastructure-related companies are defined as companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues or profits from the ownership, development, construction, financing or operation of infrastructure assets, or have at least 50% of the fair market value of their assets invested in infrastructure assets. Infrastructure assets are the physical structures and networks upon which the operation, growth and development of a community depends, which includes water, sewer, and energy utilities; transportation and communication networks; health care facilities, government accommodations, and other public service facilities; and shipping, timber, steel, alternative energy, and other resources and services necessary for the construction and maintenance of these physical structures and networks. Equity securities in which the Fund invests include common and preferred stocks, publicly-traded units of master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other investment companies (“investment companies”). The Fund may invest in companies of any size, including small- and mid-capitalization companies. In selecting securities, the Fund’s sub-adviser invests in companies that it believes meet one or more of the following criteria: Attractively valued relative to other companies in the same industry or market. Strong fundamentals, including consistent cash flows or growth and a sound balance sheet. Strong management teams. Long-term contracts to provide infrastructure-based services. An identifiable catalyst that could increase the value of the company’s stock over the next one or two years. The Fund’s sub-adviser generally will sell a security if any of the following has occurred: The security has hit its price target and the company is no longer attractively valued relative to other companies. The company’s fundamentals have significantly deteriorated. There has been a significant change in the management team. A catalyst that could decrease the value of the stock has been identified, or a previously existing positive catalyst has disappeared. A better alternative exists in the marketplace. The Fund’s investments include infrastructure-related securities of non-U.S. issuers. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 40% of its net assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers and, in any case, will invest at least 30% of its net assets in such issuers. The Fund considers an issuer to be non-U.S. if its legal residence is in a country other than the United States, its securities principally trade in a non-U.S. market, or it derives a significant portion of either its revenues or pretax income from activities outside the United States. The Fund diversifies its investments among a number of different countries throughout the world. Up to 25% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in equity securities of emerging market issuers. A country is considered to be an “emerging market” if it is defined as such by Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc. The Fund may utilize derivatives, including options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts. The Fund may use these derivatives to manage market or business risk, enhance the Fund’s return, or hedge against adverse movements in currency exchange rates.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily, which means you could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include: Derivatives Risk—The use of options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and forward foreign currency exchange contracts involves additional risks, such as liquidity, interest rate, counterparty, market, credit and management risks, and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives could have a large impact on performance. Recent legislation requires the development of a new regulatory framework for the derivatives market. The impact of the new regulations is still unknown, but has the potential to increase the costs of using derivatives, may limit the availability of some forms of derivatives or the Fund's ability to use derivatives, and may adversely affect the performance of some derivative instruments used by the Fund as well as the Fund's ability to pursue its investment objective through the use of such instruments. Equity Security Risk—Equity securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur in the equity market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market. ETF Risk—An ETF is subject to the risks of the underlying securities that it holds. In addition, for index-based ETFs, the performance of an ETF may diverge from the performance of such index (commonly known as tracking error). ETFs are subject to fees and expenses (like management fees and operating expenses) that do not apply to an index, and the Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by the ETFs in which it invests. Frequent Trading Risk—Frequent trading of portfolio securities may produce capital gains, which are taxable to shareholders when distributed. Frequent trading may also increase the amount of commissions or mark-ups to broker-dealers that the Fund pays when it buys and sells securities, which may detract from the Fund's performance. Infrastructure Sector Risk—Because the Fund invests significantly in infrastructure-related securities, the Fund has greater exposure to adverse economic, regulatory, political, legal and other changes affecting the issuers of such securities. Master Limited Partnership Risk—An investment in an MLP exposes the Fund to the legal and tax risks associated with investing in partnerships. MLPs may have limited financial resources, their securities may be relatively illiquid, and they may be subject to more erratic price movements because of the underlying assets they hold. Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries. Also, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the Fund's net asset value, the value of dividends and interest earned, and gains and losses realized on the sale of securities. Other Investment Companies Risk—When the Fund invests in other investment companies, you bear both your proportionate share of Fund expenses and, indirectly, the expenses of the other investment companies. Preferred Security Risk—Preferred securities are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company's capital structure and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments. In addition, preferred securities are subject to other risks, such as having no or limited voting rights, being subject to special redemption rights, having distributions deferred or skipped, having limited liquidity, changing tax treatments and possibly being in heavily regulated industries. Real Estate Investment Risk—The real estate industry has been subject to substantial fluctuations and declines on a local, regional and national basis in the past and may continue to be in the future. Also, the value of a REIT can be hurt by economic downturns or by changes in real estate values, rents, property taxes, interest rates, tax treatment, regulations, or the legal structure of the REIT. Smaller Company Risk—Small-cap stocks involve substantial risk. Prices of small-cap stocks may be subject to more abrupt or erratic movements, and to wider fluctuations, than stock prices of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general. It may be difficult to sell small-cap stocks at the desired time and price. While mid-cap stocks may be slightly less volatile than small-cap stocks, they still involve similar risks.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily, which means you could lose money.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]	rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution	An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Fund Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares.
Performance Availability Phone [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone	(800) 257-8787
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	www.nuveen.com/performance
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Class A Annual Total Return
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text]	rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads	The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown. During the five-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 20.62% and –17.47%, respectively, for the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and September 30, 2008.
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2012
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text]	rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown	After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.
Performance Table Narrative	rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock	The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans. Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	5.75%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.93%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.24%	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.42%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.18%)	[4]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.24%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	694
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	982
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,291
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,164
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	694
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	982
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	1,291
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	2,164
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(35.10%)
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	28.32%
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	15.10%
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	0.14%
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	15.52%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	highest
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	20.62%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	lowest
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(17.47%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	8.93%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	0.88%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	1.39%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 17, 2007
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	1.00%	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.93%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	1.00%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.25%	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	2.18%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.19%)	[4]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.99%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	202
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	664
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,152
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,499
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	202
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	664
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	1,152
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	2,499
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	14.58%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	13.65%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Nov. 03, 2008
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Class R3
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	none	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.93%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.50%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.22%	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.65%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.16%)	[4]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.49%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	152
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	505
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	882
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,941
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	152
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	505
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	882
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	1,941
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	15.36%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	14.11%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Nov. 03, 2008
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Class I
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.93%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.24%	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.17%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.18%)	[4]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	0.99%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	101
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	354
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	626
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,404
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	101
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	354
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	626
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	1,404
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	15.78%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	2.33%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	2.83%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 17, 2007
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | (return after taxes on distributions) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	8.09%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	0.36%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.88%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 17, 2007
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	6.36%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	0.68%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	1.13%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 17, 2007
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | S&P Global Infrastructure Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	11.89%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(2.06%)
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | S&P Global Infrastructure Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	(1.58%)
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | S&P Global Infrastructure Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	9.57%
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | S&P Global Infrastructure Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class R3
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	9.57%
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | S&P Global Infrastructure Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class I
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	(1.58%)
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Lipper Specialty/Miscellaneous Classification Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or certain expenses)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	6.74%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(0.12%)
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Lipper Specialty/Miscellaneous Classification Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or certain expenses) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.28%
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Lipper Specialty/Miscellaneous Classification Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or certain expenses) | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	13.09%
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Lipper Specialty/Miscellaneous Classification Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or certain expenses) | Class R3
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	13.09%
Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund | Lipper Specialty/Miscellaneous Classification Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or certain expenses) | Class I
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.28%

[1] The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.

[2] Fee applies to the following types of accounts under $1,000 held directly with the Fund: individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts and accounts established pursuant to the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA).

[3] Other Expenses have been restated to reflect current contractual fees.

[4] The Fund's investment adviser has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses through April 30, 2014 so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding 12b-1 distribution and/or service fees, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, fees incurred in acquiring and disposing of portfolio securities and extraordinary expenses) do not exceed 1.00% of the average daily net assets of any class of Fund shares. The expense limitation expiring April 30, 2014 may be terminated or modified prior to that date only with the approval of the board of directors of the Fund.