Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current assets:
Accounts receivable, allowances for doubtful accounts	$ 1,095	$ 4,269
Total Vishay stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 1.00	$ 1.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	1,000,000	1,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	0	0
Common Stock [Member]
Total Vishay stockholders' equity:
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	300,000,000	300,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	132,348,357	132,117,715
Common Class B [Member]
Total Vishay stockholders' equity:
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	40,000,000	40,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	12,097,409	12,097,427