CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment Accumulated Dividends in Excess of Earnings	Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	General Partner Preferred Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock	General Partner Preferred Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	General Partner Preferred Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	General Partner Preferred Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	General Partner Preferred Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	General Partner Preferred Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	General Partner Preferred Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	General Partner Common Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock	General Partner Common Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	General Partner Common Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	General Partner Common Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	General Partner Common Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Limited Partners Common Units Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Redeemable Interests Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Interest Rate Swap	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Joint Ventures Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock	Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	Digital Realty Trust, L.P. Interest Rate Swap	Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests -- Operating Partnership	Preferred Stock Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock	Preferred Stock Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Preferred Stock Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Preferred Stock Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Preferred Stock Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Preferred Stock Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	Preferred Stock	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Dividends in Excess of Earnings Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock	Accumulated Dividends in Excess of Earnings Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Accumulated Dividends in Excess of Earnings Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Accumulated Dividends in Excess of Earnings Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Accumulated Dividends in Excess of Earnings	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net Interest Rate Swap	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net	Total Noncontrolling Interests Interest Rate Swap	Total Noncontrolling Interests	Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock	Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	Interest Rate Swap	Total
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018																												$ 15,832							$ 1,249,560	$ 2,051	$ 11,355,751					$ (2,633,071)		$ (115,647)		$ 999,566								$ 10,858,210
Beginning balance (shares) at Dec. 31, 2018																																				206,425,656
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Conversion of common units to common stock																																				$ 22	190,492									(190,514)
Conversion of common units to common stock (shares)																																				2,154,460
Issuance of common stock, net of costs (shares)							8,400,000	13,800,000
Common stock offering costs																																					(2,530)																	(2,530)
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan														$ 5,462													$ 5,462										5,462																	5,462
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan (shares)														63,774																						63,774
Amortization of share-based compensation														$ 38,662													38,662										38,662																	38,662
Reclassification of vested share-based awards																																					(8,458)									8,458
Redemption of preferred stock				$ (353,290)							$ (11,760)										$ (365,050)									$ (353,290)									$ (11,760)									$ (365,050)
Adjustment to redeemable noncontrolling interests														(2,059)		$ 25,937			$ (23,878)								(25,937)	25,937									(2,059)									(23,878)								(25,937)
Dividends declared on preferred stock																											(74,990)															(74,990)												(74,990)
Dividends and distributions on common stock and common and incentive units																												(676)														(900,201)				(38,278)								(938,479)
Contributions from (distributions to) noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities																			63,173								63,173																			63,173								63,173
Deconsolidation of consolidated joint venture/consolidated entities																			(110,086)								(110,086)																			(110,086)								(110,086)
Net income (loss)									$ 74,990					$ 504,771	$ 20,728	372			(1,640)								598,849	372														579,761				19,088								598,849
Other comprehensive income (loss)-foreign currency translation adjustments																		$ 45,662									45,662																	43,702		1,960								45,662
Issuance of unvested restricted stock, net of forfeitures (shares)																																				256,868
Issuance of preferred stock, net of offering costs							$ 203,264	$ 334,886																$ 203,264	$ 334,886								$ 203,264	$ 334,886																	$ 203,264	$ 334,886
Other comprehensive income (loss)-fair value of interest rate swaps																	$ (9,232)									$ (9,232)	(9,232)																$ (8,839)		$ (393)								$ (9,232)	(9,232)
Other comprehensive income- reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive income/loss to interest expense																		(7,446)									(7,446)																	(7,138)		(308)								(7,446)
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2019	$ (6,318)	$ (6,318)																										41,465							1,434,420	$ 2,073	11,577,320					(3,046,579)		(87,922)		728,788								10,608,100
Ending balance (shares) at Dec. 31, 2019																																				208,900,758
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of unvested restricted stock, net of forfeitures (units)														256,868
Conversion of common units to common stock																																				$ 10	92,543									(92,553)								0
Conversion of common units to common stock (shares)																																				1,070,014
Common stock and share-based awards issued in connection with InterXion combination														$ 7,013,220													7,013,220									$ 545	7,012,675																	7,013,220
Common stock and share-based awards issued in connection with InterXion combination (in shares)														54,487,997
Issuance of common stock, net of costs																																				$ 160	1,888,366																	1,888,526
Issuance of common stock, net of costs (shares)																																				15,920,893
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan														$ 6,503													6,503										6,503																	6,503
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan (shares)														58,136																						58,136
Amortization of share-based compensation														$ 77,507													77,507										78,757																	78,757
Vesting of restricted stock, net (shares)														(148,072)																						(148,072)
Shares repurchased and retired to satisfy tax withholding upon vesting														$ (7,320)													(7,320)										(8,570)																	(8,570)
Reclassification of vested share-based awards																																					(17,611)									17,611
Redemption of preferred stock					$ (241,468)	$ (242,012)						$ (8,532)	$ (7,988)									$ (250,000)	$ (250,000)								$ (241,468)	$ (242,012)								$ (8,532)	$ (7,988)								$ (250,000)	$ (250,000)
Adjustment to redeemable noncontrolling interests																												3,086									(3,086)																	(3,086)
Dividends declared on preferred stock																											(76,536)															(76,536)												(76,536)
Dividends and distributions on common stock and common and incentive units																												(700)														(1,214,701)				(37,147)								(1,251,848)
Contributions from (distributions to) noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities																2,089			97,914								97,914	2,089																		97,914								97,914
Net income (loss)														279,862	9,629	(4,417)			1,120								290,611	(4,417)														356,398				10,749								367,147
Other comprehensive income (loss)-foreign currency translation adjustments																488		230,340									230,340	488																226,849		3,491								230,340
Issuance of unvested restricted stock, net of forfeitures (shares)																																				54,487,997
Other comprehensive income (loss)-fair value of interest rate swaps																	(12,425)									(12,425)	(12,425)																(11,980)		(445)								(12,425)	(12,425)
Other comprehensive income- reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive income/loss to interest expense																		8,294									8,294																	8,063		231								8,294
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2020																												42,011							950,940	$ 2,788	20,626,897					(3,997,938)		135,010		728,639								18,446,336
Ending balance (shares) at Dec. 31, 2020																																				280,289,726
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Conversion of common units to common stock																																				$ 25	206,695									(206,720)								0
Conversion of common units to common stock (shares)																																				2,502,331
Issuance of common units in connection with acquisition														$ 18,270													18,270									$ 1	18,269																	18,270
Issuance of common units in connection with acquisition (shares)														125,395																						125,395
Issuance of common stock, net of costs																																				$ 11	172,085																	172,096
Issuance of common stock, net of costs (shares)																																				1,060,943
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan														$ 9,895													9,895										9,895																	9,895
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan (shares)														82,129																						82,129
Amortization of share-based compensation														$ 88,414													88,414										88,414																	88,414
Vesting of restricted stock, net (shares)														354,489																						385,783
Shares repurchased and retired to satisfy tax withholding upon vesting														$ (16,734)													(16,734)									$ (1)	(16,733)																	(16,734)
Reclassification of vested share-based awards																																					(23,829)									23,829								0
Redemption of preferred stock			$ (219,250)																	$ (201,250)									$ (219,250)																		$ (201,250)
Redemption of preferred stock										$ 18,000																												$ 18,000
Adjustment to redeemable noncontrolling interests																												5,830									(5,830)																	(5,830)
Dividends declared on preferred stock																											(45,761)															(45,761)												(45,761)
Dividends and distributions on common stock and common and incentive units																												(724)														(1,315,489)				(31,567)								(1,347,056)
Contributions from (distributions to) noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities																			125,186								125,186	(1,052)																		125,186								125,186
Deconsolidation of consolidated joint venture/consolidated entities																			(197,016)								(197,016)																			(197,016)								(197,016)
Net income (loss)									$ 45,761					$ 1,663,998	$ 37,670	930			$ (947)								1,746,482	930														1,709,259				37,223								1,746,482
Other comprehensive income (loss)-foreign currency translation adjustments																		(318,828)									(318,828)																	(311,413)		(7,415)								(318,828)
Other comprehensive income (loss)-fair value of interest rate swaps																	$ 1,279									$ 1,279	1,279																$ 1,250		$ 29								$ 1,279	1,279
Other comprehensive income- reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive income/loss to interest expense																		$ 1,304									$ 1,304																	1,273		31								1,304
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2021																												$ 46,995							$ 731,690	$ 2,824	$ 21,075,863					$ (3,631,929)		$ (173,880)		$ 472,219								$ 18,476,787
Ending balance (shares) at Dec. 31, 2021																																				284,446,307
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Distributions From Noncontrolling Interests In Consolidated Joint Ventures Subsidiary																$ 1,052