Common stock - Narrative (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2023 USD ($) Vote shares	Dec. 31, 2022 shares	Dec. 31, 2021 shares	Dec. 31, 2020 shares
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Preferred Stock, shares authorized	1,000,000
Preferred Stock, shares issued	0
Economic equivalent of Class B share to Class A share	0.0667%		0.0667%
Common Stock Repurchase Program [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Shares repurchase, authorization description	Berkshire’s common stock repurchase program, as amended, permits Berkshire to repurchase shares any time that Warren Buffett, Berkshire’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, believes that the repurchase price is below Berkshire’s intrinsic value, conservatively determined.
Minimum cash, cash equivalents and U.S. Treasury Bill threshold after repurchase of common stock shares, amount | $	$ 30,000,000,000
Class A [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of votes entitled per share, number | Vote	1
Shares outstanding	567,775	591,564	617,113	643,931
Class B [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of votes entitled per share, number | Vote	0.0001
Number of shares of Class B stock obtainable from converting one Class A share	1,500
Shares outstanding	1,310,561,508	1,302,254,076	1,290,474,503	1,350,043,471
Equivalent Class A [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Shares outstanding	1,441,483	1,459,733