<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<FilingSummary>
  <Version>3.20.4</Version>
  <ProcessingTime/>
  <ReportFormat>html</ReportFormat>
  <ContextCount>16</ContextCount>
  <ElementCount>176</ElementCount>
  <EntityCount>1</EntityCount>
  <FootnotesReported>true</FootnotesReported>
  <SegmentCount>15</SegmentCount>
  <ScenarioCount>0</ScenarioCount>
  <TuplesReported>false</TuplesReported>
  <UnitCount>2</UnitCount>
  <MyReports>
    <Report instance="ahif-20201031.htm">
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R1.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>0001 - Document - Document and Entity Information  {Elements}</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.abfunds.com/role/DocumentAndEntityInformationElements</Role>
      <ShortName>Document and Entity Information</ShortName>
      <MenuCategory></MenuCategory>
      <Position>1</Position>
    </Report>
    <Report instance="ahif-20201031.htm">
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>true</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R2.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>0002 - Document - Risk/Return Summary {Unlabeled} -  AB HIGH INCOME FUND INC</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.abfunds.com/role/RiskReturnSummaryUnlabeledAbHighIncomeFundInc</Role>
      <ShortName>Risk/Return Summary-  AB HIGH INCOME FUND INC</ShortName>
      <MenuCategory></MenuCategory>
      <Position>2</Position>
    </Report>
    <Report instance="ahif-20201031.htm">
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R8.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>0008 - Disclosure - Risk/Return Detail Data {Elements} -  AB HIGH INCOME FUND INC</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.abfunds.com/role/RiskReturnDetailDataElementsAbHighIncomeFundInc</Role>
      <ShortName>Risk/Return Detail Data-  AB HIGH INCOME FUND INC</ShortName>
      <MenuCategory></MenuCategory>
      <Position>3</Position>
    </Report>
    <Report instance="ahif-20201031.htm">
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R9.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>040000 - Disclosure - Risk/Return Detail Data {Elements}</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://xbrl.sec.gov/rr/role/RiskReturnDetailData</Role>
      <ShortName>Risk/Return Detail Data</ShortName>
      <MenuCategory></MenuCategory>
      <Position>4</Position>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <LongName>All Reports</LongName>
      <ReportType>Book</ReportType>
      <ShortName>All Reports</ShortName>
    </Report>
  </MyReports>
  <InputFiles>
    <File doctype="485BPOS" original="ahif-20201031.htm">ahif-20201031.htm</File>
    <File>ahif-20201031.xsd</File>
    <File>ahif-20201031_cal.xml</File>
    <File>ahif-20201031_def.xml</File>
    <File>ahif-20201031_lab.xml</File>
    <File>ahif-20201031_pre.xml</File>
    <File>d8663123_ex99-i.htm</File>
    <File>d8717780_ex99-j.htm</File>
    <File>d8717780_ex99e-1.htm</File>
    <File>d8720980_ex99-2.htm</File>
    <File>d8729856_ex99-3.htm</File>
  </InputFiles>
  <SupplementalFiles>
    <File>g1g02q22.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g09e18.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g12c59.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g22c48.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g62h71.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g67z55.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g75f86.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g85m11.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g89u75.jpg</File>
    <File>g1g92u66.jpg</File>
    <File>BarChart1.png</File>
  </SupplementalFiles>
  <BaseTaxonomies>
    <BaseTaxonomy>http://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2020-01-31</BaseTaxonomy>
    <BaseTaxonomy>http://xbrl.sec.gov/rr/2018-01-31</BaseTaxonomy>
  </BaseTaxonomies>
  <HasPresentationLinkbase>true</HasPresentationLinkbase>
  <HasCalculationLinkbase>true</HasCalculationLinkbase>
</FilingSummary>
