Investments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012
Investment [Line Items]
Percentage of management fee revenue allocated to Carlyle	55.00%
Percentage of income allocation to general partners	7.50%
Additional investment in partnership	$ 7,500,000
Investment percentage	7.50%
Number of years until Carlyle can purchase the remaining interests in NGP Management	13 years
Partnership vested period	5 years
Consideration amount upon the termination of the investment period of the NGP X Fund	7,500,000
Investment earnings	3,000,000	23,300,000
Partnership's basis difference based on underlying net assets	244,900,000		259,800,000
Basis difference amortization period	10 years
Trading securities	27,500,000		26,100,000
Total assets of the CLOs that were formed during the year	1,900,000,000
Minimum percent of aggregate assets for individual investments with fair value	5.00%
ECM Capital, L.P. [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Contingent consideration	45,000,000
NGP Investment [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Net investment income	1,000,000
Investment earnings	16,200,000
Investment expenses	17,200,000
Barclays Natural Resource Investments [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Contingent consideration	183,000,000
Barclays Natural Resource Investments [Member] | ECM Capital, L.P. [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Purchase price	384,000,000
Issuance of partnership units	996,572
Carlyle Holdings [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Issuance of partnership units	597,944
Value of additional partnership units to be issued upon the satisfaction of certain performance conditions	15,000,000
Option exercisable between July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015 [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Range of estimated purchase price for additional interest in the general partner of one of the NGP funds	65,000,000
Option exercisable between July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015 [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Range of estimated purchase price for additional interest in the general partner of one of the NGP funds	74,000,000
Option exercisable between July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015 [Member] | Barclays Natural Resource Investments [Member] | ECM Capital, L.P. [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Percentage of carried interest to be received if certain options to purchase additional interests are made	40.00%
Option exercisable from December 20, 2012 until January 1, 2015 [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Range of estimated purchase price for additional interest in the general partner of one of the NGP funds	34,000,000
Option exercisable from December 20, 2012 until January 1, 2015 [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Range of estimated purchase price for additional interest in the general partner of one of the NGP funds	38,000,000
Option exercisable from December 20, 2012 until January 1, 2015 [Member] | Barclays Natural Resource Investments [Member] | ECM Capital, L.P. [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Percentage of carried interest to be received if certain options to purchase additional interests are made	40.00%
Management fee-related revenues [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Percentage of management fee revenue allocated to Carlyle	47.50%
Corporate mezzanine securities and bonds [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Trading securities	$ 27,500,000		$ 26,100,000