(Loss) Earnings Per Share - Summary (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net (loss) income attributable to Encore Capital Group, Inc. stockholders	$ (10,454)	$ 49,254
Total weighted-average basic shares outstanding (shares)	31,308	31,201
Dilutive effect of stock-based awards (shares)	0	158
Total weighted-average dilutive shares outstanding (shares)	31,308	31,359
Basic (loss) earnings per share (USD per share)	$ (0.33)	$ 1.58
Diluted (loss) earnings per share (USD per share)	$ (0.33)	$ 1.57
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (shares)	13	217