Business and Organization	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Business and Organization	Business and Organization W. P. Carey Inc., or W. P. Carey, is, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, a REIT that provides long-term financing via sale-leaseback and build-to-suit transactions for companies worldwide and manages a global investment portfolio. We invest primarily in commercial properties domestically and internationally. We earn revenue principally by leasing the properties we own to single corporate tenants, primarily on a triple-net lease basis, which generally requires each tenant to pay substantially all of the costs associated with operating and maintaining the property. Originally founded in 1973, we reorganized as a REIT in September 2012 in connection with our merger with Corporate Property Associates 15 Incorporated. We refer to that merger as the CPA^®:15 Merger. On January 31, 2014, Corporate Property Associates 16 – Global Incorporated, or CPA^®:16 – Global, merged with and into us (Note 3), which we refer to as the CPA^®:16 Merger. Our shares of common stock are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “WPC.” We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under Section 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, we are not generally subject to United States federal income taxation other than from our taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs, as long as we satisfy certain requirements, principally relating to the nature of our income and the level of our distributions, as well as other factors. We hold all of our real estate assets attributable to our Owned Real Estate segment under the REIT structure, while the activities conducted by our Investment Management segment subsidiaries have been organized under TRSs. Through our TRSs, we also earn revenue as the advisor to publicly owned, non-listed REITs, which are sponsored by us under the Corporate Property Associates, or CPA^®,brand name that invest in similar properties. At December 31, 2016, we were the advisor to Corporate Property Associates 17 – Global Incorporated, or CPA^®:17 – Global, and Corporate Property Associates 18 – Global Incorporated, or CPA^®:18 – Global. We were also the advisor to CPA^®:16 – Global until its merger with us. We refer to CPA^®:16 – Global, CPA^®:17 – Global, and CPA^®:18 – Global together as the CPA^® REITs. At December 31, 2016, we were also the advisor to Carey Watermark Investors Incorporated, or CWI 1, and Carey Watermark Investors 2 Incorporated, or CWI 2, two publicly owned, non-listed REITs that invest in lodging and lodging-related properties. We refer to CWI 1 and CWI 2 together as the CWI REITs and, together with the CPA^® REITs, as the Managed REITs (Note 4). At December 31, 2016, we also served as the advisor to Carey Credit Income Fund, or CCIF, a business development company, or BDC, and feeder funds of CCIF, or the CCIF Feeder Funds, which are also BDCs (Note 4). In May 2016, one of the CCIF Feeder Funds, Carey Credit Income Fund 2018 T, filed a registration statement on Form N-2 with the SEC to sell up to 102,564,103 shares of its beneficial interest in an initial public offering, with the proceeds to be invested in shares of CCIF. The registration statement was declared effective by the SEC in October 2016 but fundraising has not yet commenced. We refer to CCIF and the CCIF Feeder Funds collectively as the Managed BDCs. At December 31, 2016, we were also the advisor to Carey European Student Housing Fund I, L.P., or CESH I, a limited partnership formed for the purpose of developing, owning, and operating student housing properties and similar investments in Europe. We refer to the Managed REITs, Managed BDCs, and CESH I collectively as the Managed Programs. On May 4, 2016, we filed a registration statement with the SEC for Corporate Property Associates 19 – Global Incorporated, or CPA^®:19 – Global, a diversified non-traded REIT, for a capital raise of up to $2.0 billion, which included $500.0 million of shares allocated to CPA^®:19 – Global’s distribution reinvestment plan. We have decided to delay the introduction of CPA^®:19 – Global due to regulatory uncertainty surrounding the adoption of the Fiduciary Rule and the resulting impact on the market with regard to product choices, pricing, and timing, which is currently in a state of flux. As a result, there can be no assurances as to whether or when CPA^®:19 – Global’s offering will commence. Through December 31, 2016, the financial activity of CPA^®:19 – Global, which has no significant assets, liabilities, or operations, was included in our consolidated financial statements. Reportable Segments Owned Real Estate — We own and invest in commercial properties principally in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia that are then leased to companies, primarily on a triple-net lease basis. We also own two hotels, which are considered operating properties. We earn lease revenues from our wholly owned and co-owned real estate investments that we control. In addition, we generate equity income through co-owned real estate investments that we do not control and through our ownership of shares and limited partnership units of the Managed Programs (Note 7). Through our special member interests in the operating partnerships of the Managed REITs, we also participate in their cash flows (Note 4). At December 31, 2016, our owned portfolio was comprised of our full or partial ownership interests in 903 properties, totaling approximately 87.9 million square feet (unaudited), substantially all of which were net leased to 217 tenants, with an occupancy rate of 99.1%. Investment Management — Through our TRSs, we structure and negotiate investments and debt placement transactions for the Managed REITs and CESH I, for which we earn structuring revenue, and manage their portfolios of real estate investments, for which we earn asset management revenue. We also earn asset management revenue from CCIF based on the average of its gross assets at fair value. We may earn disposition revenue when we negotiate and structure the sale of properties on behalf of the Managed REITs, and we may also earn incentive revenue and receive other compensation through our advisory agreements with certain of the Managed Programs, including in connection with providing liquidity events for the Managed REITs’ stockholders. At December 31, 2016, CPA^®:17 – Global and CPA^®:18 – Global collectively owned all or a portion of 446 properties, including certain properties in which we have an ownership interest. Substantially all of these properties, totaling approximately 52.0 million square feet (unaudited), were net leased to 216 tenants, with an average occupancy rate of approximately 99.8%. The Managed REITs and CESH I also had interests in 160 operating properties, totaling approximately 20.0 million square feet (unaudited), in the aggregate. We continue to explore alternatives for expanding our investment management operations beyond advising the existing Managed Programs. Any such expansion could involve the purchase of properties or other investments as principal with the intention of transferring such investments to a newly created fund. These new funds could invest primarily in assets other than net-lease real estate and could include funds raised through private placements, such as CESH I, or publicly traded vehicles, either in the United States or internationally.

Business and Organization

W. P. Carey Inc., or W. P. Carey, is, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, a REIT that provides long-term financing via sale-leaseback and build-to-suit transactions for companies worldwide and manages a global investment portfolio. We invest primarily in commercial properties domestically and internationally. We earn revenue principally by leasing the properties we own to single corporate tenants, primarily on a triple-net lease basis, which generally requires each tenant to pay substantially all of the costs associated with operating and maintaining the property.

Originally founded in 1973, we reorganized as a REIT in September 2012 in connection with our merger with Corporate Property Associates 15 Incorporated. We refer to that merger as the CPA^®:15 Merger. On January 31, 2014, Corporate Property Associates 16 – Global Incorporated, or CPA^®:16 – Global, merged with and into us (Note 3), which we refer to as the CPA^®:16 Merger. Our shares of common stock are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “WPC.”

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under Section 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, we are not generally subject to United States federal income taxation other than from our taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs, as long as we satisfy certain requirements, principally relating to the nature of our income and the level of our distributions, as well as other factors. We hold all of our real estate assets attributable to our Owned Real Estate segment under the REIT structure, while the activities conducted by our Investment Management segment subsidiaries have been organized under TRSs.

Through our TRSs, we also earn revenue as the advisor to publicly owned, non-listed REITs, which are sponsored by us under the Corporate Property Associates, or CPA^®,brand name that invest in similar properties. At December 31, 2016, we were the advisor to Corporate Property Associates 17 – Global Incorporated, or CPA^®:17 – Global, and Corporate Property Associates 18 – Global Incorporated, or CPA^®:18 – Global. We were also the advisor to CPA^®:16 – Global until its merger with us. We refer to CPA^®:16 – Global, CPA^®:17 – Global, and CPA^®:18 – Global together as the CPA^® REITs.

At December 31, 2016, we were also the advisor to Carey Watermark Investors Incorporated, or CWI 1, and Carey Watermark Investors 2 Incorporated, or CWI 2, two publicly owned, non-listed REITs that invest in lodging and lodging-related properties. We refer to CWI 1 and CWI 2 together as the CWI REITs and, together with the CPA^® REITs, as the Managed REITs (Note 4).

At December 31, 2016, we also served as the advisor to Carey Credit Income Fund, or CCIF, a business development company, or BDC, and feeder funds of CCIF, or the CCIF Feeder Funds, which are also BDCs (Note 4). In May 2016, one of the CCIF Feeder Funds, Carey Credit Income Fund 2018 T, filed a registration statement on Form N-2 with the SEC to sell up to 102,564,103 shares of its beneficial interest in an initial public offering, with the proceeds to be invested in shares of CCIF. The registration statement was declared effective by the SEC in October 2016 but fundraising has not yet commenced. We refer to CCIF and the CCIF Feeder Funds collectively as the Managed BDCs. At December 31, 2016, we were also the advisor to Carey European Student Housing Fund I, L.P., or CESH I, a limited partnership formed for the purpose of developing, owning, and operating student housing properties and similar investments in Europe. We refer to the Managed REITs, Managed BDCs, and CESH I collectively as the Managed Programs.

On May 4, 2016, we filed a registration statement with the SEC for Corporate Property Associates 19 – Global Incorporated, or CPA^®:19 – Global, a diversified non-traded REIT, for a capital raise of up to $2.0 billion, which included $500.0 million of shares allocated to CPA^®:19 – Global’s distribution reinvestment plan. We have decided to delay the introduction of CPA^®:19 – Global due to regulatory uncertainty surrounding the adoption of the Fiduciary Rule and the resulting impact on the market with regard to product choices, pricing, and timing, which is currently in a state of flux. As a result, there can be no assurances as to whether or when CPA^®:19 – Global’s offering will commence. Through December 31, 2016, the financial activity of CPA^®:19 – Global, which has no significant assets, liabilities, or operations, was included in our consolidated financial statements.

Reportable Segments

Owned Real Estate — We own and invest in commercial properties principally in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia that are then leased to companies, primarily on a triple-net lease basis. We also own two hotels, which are considered operating properties. We earn lease revenues from our wholly owned and co-owned real estate investments that we control. In addition, we generate equity income through co-owned real estate investments that we do not control and through our ownership of shares and limited partnership units of the Managed Programs (Note 7). Through our special member interests in the operating partnerships of the Managed REITs, we also participate in their cash flows (Note 4). At December 31, 2016, our owned portfolio was comprised of our full or partial ownership interests in 903 properties, totaling approximately 87.9 million square feet (unaudited), substantially all of which were net leased to 217 tenants, with an occupancy rate of 99.1%.

Investment Management — Through our TRSs, we structure and negotiate investments and debt placement transactions for the Managed REITs and CESH I, for which we earn structuring revenue, and manage their portfolios of real estate investments, for which we earn asset management revenue. We also earn asset management revenue from CCIF based on the average of its gross assets at fair value. We may earn disposition revenue when we negotiate and structure the sale of properties on behalf of the Managed REITs, and we may also earn incentive revenue and receive other compensation through our advisory agreements with certain of the Managed Programs, including in connection with providing liquidity events for the Managed REITs’ stockholders. At December 31, 2016, CPA^®:17 – Global and CPA^®:18 – Global collectively owned all or a portion of 446 properties, including certain properties in which we have an ownership interest. Substantially all of these properties, totaling approximately 52.0 million square feet (unaudited), were net leased to 216 tenants, with an average occupancy rate of approximately 99.8%. The Managed REITs and CESH I also had interests in 160 operating properties, totaling approximately 20.0 million square feet (unaudited), in the aggregate. We continue to explore alternatives for expanding our investment management operations beyond advising the existing Managed Programs. Any such expansion could involve the purchase of properties or other investments as principal with the intention of transferring such investments to a newly created fund. These new funds could invest primarily in assets other than net-lease real estate and could include funds raised through private placements, such as CESH I, or publicly traded vehicles, either in the United States or internationally.