Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 01, 2017	Apr. 02, 2016
Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations [Abstract]
Net revenues	$ 606,258	$ 570,606
Costs of products sold	445,383	433,297
Gross profit	160,875	137,309
Selling, general, and administrative expenses	94,718	90,286
Restructuring and severance costs	1,469	6,475
Operating income	64,688	40,548
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	(6,790)	(6,466)
Other	(396)	779
Gain on early extinguishment of debt	0	3,611
Loss on disposal of equity affiliate	(7,060)	0
Nonoperating Income (Expense), Total	(14,246)	(2,076)
Income before taxes	50,442	38,472
Income tax expense	13,493	10,320
Net earnings	36,949	28,152
Less: net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests	230	138
Net earnings attributable to Vishay stockholders	$ 36,719	$ 28,014
Basic earnings per share attributable to Vishay stockholders	$ 0.25	$ 0.19
Diluted earnings per share attributable to Vishay stockholders	$ 0.24	$ 0.19
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic	146,274	147,833
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted	154,876	150,628
Cash dividends per share	$ 0.0625	$ 0.0625