Name:	bmy_ContingentandRegulatoryMilestonePayments
Namespace Prefix:	bmy_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

The co-promotion fee percentage which is paid to the other party when a sale is male to that party's assigned customer.

No definition available.

Name:	bmy_Copromotionfeepercentage
Namespace Prefix:	bmy_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

The percentage of profit, loss, development cost sharing for the company with the compound generating the sales.

No definition available.

Name:	bmy_Profitsharinginvolvingonlyonecompoundmaximum
Namespace Prefix:	bmy_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

The percentage of profit, loss, development cost sharing for the company that does not have a compound involved in the sales.

No definition available.

Name:	bmy_Profitsharinginvolvingonlyonecompoundminimum
Namespace Prefix:	bmy_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

This element represents the royalty rate for payments to alliance partners based on sales upon regulatory approvals.

No definition available.

Name:	bmy_RoyaltyRateFromSalesUponRegulatoryApprovals
Namespace Prefix:	bmy_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Upfront payments made to partner as part of collaborative arrangement.

No definition available.

Name:	bmy_UpfrontPaymentsMadeToCollaborativePartner
Namespace Prefix:	bmy_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_CollaborativeArrangementsAndNoncollaborativeArrangementTransactionsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Amount of revenue recognized from goods sold, services rendered, insurance premiums, or other activities that constitute an earning process. Includes, but is not limited to, investment and interest income before deduction of interest expense when recognized as a component of revenue, and sales and trading gain (loss).

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 22
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=115929826&loc=d3e8736-108599

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=115205541&loc=SL114868664-224227

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 32
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=115929826&loc=d3e8933-108599

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 22
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=115929826&loc=d3e8736-108599

Name:	us-gaap_Revenues
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

Name:	us-gaap_TypeOfArrangementAxis=us-gaap_CollaborativeArrangementMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Name:	bmy_AlliancesAndCollaborationCompaniesAxis=bmy_OnoMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Name:	srt_StatementGeographicalAxis=srt_NorthAmericaMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Name:	srt_StatementGeographicalAxis=bmy_RestofWorldExceptJapanSouthKoreaandTaiwanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Name:	us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis=us-gaap_SalesRevenueNetMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: