Earnings Per Common Unit - Weighted-Average Common Units Outstanding, Basic and Diluted (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Net income (loss) attributable to The Carlyle Group L.P.	$ (4,600,000)	$ (83,900,000)	$ 30,600,000	$ 39,500,000	$ 16,300,000	$ 25,400,000	$ 19,500,000	$ 24,600,000	$ (18,400,000)	$ 85,800,000	$ 104,100,000
Participating Securities Distributed And Undistributed Earnings Basic									167,000	(1,284,100)	(645,500)
Participating Securities Distributed And Undistributed Earnings Diluted									(1,743,000)	(1,303,600)	(880,000)
Incremental net income from assumed exchange of Carlyle Holdings partnership units, Diluted									(69,300,000)		465,880,000
Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders, Basic									(18,233,000)	84,515,900	103,454,500
Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders, Diluted									$ (89,443,000)	$ 84,496,400	$ 569,100,000
Weighted-average common units outstanding, Basic (in shares)									74,523,935	62,788,634	46,135,229
Weighted-average common units outstanding, Diluted (in shares)									298,739,382	68,461,157	278,250,489
Net income per common unit, Basic (in dollars per share)	$ (0.06)	$ (1.05)	$ 0.42	$ 0.58	$ 0.24	$ 0.38	$ 0.30	$ 0.46	$ (0.24)	$ 1.35	$ 2.24
Net income per common unit, Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.06)	$ (1.11)	$ 0.34	$ 0.54	$ 0.23	$ 0.35	$ 0.27	$ 0.41	$ (0.30)	$ 1.23	$ 2.05
The Carlyle Group, L.P.
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Weighted-average common units outstanding, Basic (in shares)									74,523,935	62,788,634	46,135,229
Weighted-average common units outstanding, Diluted (in shares)									74,523,935	62,788,634	46,135,229
Unvested deferred restricted common units
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Weighted-average common units outstanding, Diluted (in shares)									0	5,258,516	4,057,793
Contingently issuable Carlyle Holdings partnership units and common units
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Weighted-average common units outstanding, Diluted (in shares)									0	414,007	465,909
Weighted-average vested Carlyle Holdings partnership units
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Weighted-average common units outstanding, Diluted (in shares)									216,943,053	0	211,225,760
Unvested Carlyle Holdings partnership units
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Weighted-average common units outstanding, Diluted (in shares)									7,272,394	0	16,365,798