Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Oct. 03, 2020	Sep. 28, 2019	Oct. 03, 2020	Sep. 28, 2019
Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations [Abstract]
Net revenues	$ 640,160	$ 628,329	$ 1,834,718	$ 2,058,728
Costs of products sold	488,451	478,250	1,405,099	1,522,889
Gross profit	151,709	150,079	429,619	535,839
Selling, general, and administrative expenses	90,219	91,796	279,178	290,332
Restructuring and severance costs	0	7,255	743	7,255
Operating income	61,490	51,028	149,698	238,252
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	(7,414)	(8,564)	(24,396)	(25,160)
Other	(4,898)	1,718	(6,184)	3,233
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	(3,454)	0	(7,520)	(1,307)
Total other income (expense)	(15,766)	(6,846)	(38,100)	(23,234)
Income before taxes	45,724	44,182	111,598	215,018
Income tax expense	12,063	13,917	25,658	64,377
Net earnings	33,661	30,265	85,940	150,641
Less: net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests	177	227	584	667
Net earnings attributable to Vishay stockholders	$ 33,484	$ 30,038	$ 85,356	$ 149,974
Basic earnings per share attributable to Vishay stockholders (in dollars per share)	$ 0.23	$ 0.21	$ 0.59	$ 1.04
Diluted earnings per share attributable to Vishay stockholders (in dollars per share)	$ 0.23	$ 0.21	$ 0.59	$ 1.03
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic (in shares)	144,854	144,628	144,831	144,602
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted (in shares)	145,197	145,027	145,221	145,114
Cash dividends per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.095	$ 0.095	$ 0.285	$ 0.275