Earnings Per Share (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2012	Nov. 30, 2011
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income attributable to Apollo (basic and diluted)	$ 133,495	$ 149,314
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	112,420,000	130,318,000
Anti-dilutive securities [Line Items]
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	112,849,000	130,874,000
Basic income per share attributable to Apollo (in dollars per share)	$ 1.19	$ 1.15
Diluted income per share attributable to Apollo (in dollars per share)	$ 1.18	$ 1.14
Stock options [Member]
Anti-dilutive securities [Line Items]
Dilutive effect of share-based awards (in shares)	0	32,000
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from earnings per share computation	8,400,000	9,000,000
Restricted stock units and performance share awards [Member]
Anti-dilutive securities [Line Items]
Dilutive effect of share-based awards (in shares)	429,000	524,000
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from earnings per share computation	2,000,000	100,000