Financial Statements	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]	Financial Statements Basis of Presentation and Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of Citizens, Inc. ("Citizens"), a Colorado corporation, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, CICA Life Insurance Company of America ("CICA"), Security Plan Life Insurance Company ("SPLIC"), Security Plan Fire Insurance Company ("SPFIC"), Citizens National Life Insurance Company ("CNLIC"), Magnolia Guaranty Life Insurance Company ("MGLIC"), Computing Technology, Inc. ("CTI"), Insurance Investors, Inc. ("III") and CICA Life Ltd. Citizens and its wholly-owned subsidiaries are collectively referred to as "the Company," "we," "us" or "our." The consolidated statement of financial position as of September 30, 2017, and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 and cash flows for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, have been prepared by the Company without audit. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments to present fairly the financial position, results of operations, and changes in cash flows at September 30, 2017 and for comparative periods have been made. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, the financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements, and notes thereto, for the year ended December 31, 2016. Operating results for the interim periods disclosed herein are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for a full year or any future period. We provide primarily life insurance and a small amount of health insurance policies through our insurance subsidiaries: CICA, SPLIC, MGLIC and CNLIC. Until the end of 2016, CICA and CNLIC issued ordinary whole-life policies, credit life and disability, burial insurance, pre-need policies, and accident and health related policies, throughout the Midwest and southern United States. Beginning January 1, 2017, CICA and CNLIC ceased selling products domestically as the products failed to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment afforded by Section 7702 of the Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") of 1986. The Company is developing Section 7702 compliant products and will resume sales domestically once the products receive regulatory approval. CICA primarily issues ordinary whole-life and endowment policies to non-U.S. residents. SPLIC offers final expense and home service life insurance in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, and SPFIC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPLIC, writes a limited amount of property insurance in Louisiana. MGLIC provides industrial life policies through independent funeral homes in Mississippi. CTI provides data processing systems and services, as well as furniture and equipment, to the Company. III provided aviation transportation to the Company, until the corporate plane was sold in the third quarter of 2017. As III's sole purpose was to provide aviation transportation to the Company, we plan to dissolve III and merge it into Citizens. CICA Life Ltd. is a newly established Bermuda entity with no operations to date. Reclassifications Certain amounts presented in the prior year have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. No individual amounts were material. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with U.S. GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The most significant estimates include those used in the evaluation of other-than-temporary impairments on debt and equity securities and valuation allowances on investments, actuarially determined assets and liabilities and assumptions, goodwill impairment, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, and contingencies relating to litigation and regulatory matters. Certain of these estimates are particularly sensitive to market conditions, and deterioration and/or volatility in the worldwide debt or equity markets could have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. Significant Accounting Policies For a description of significant accounting policies, see Note 1 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which should be read in conjunction with these accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Financial Statements

Basis of Presentation and Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of Citizens, Inc. ("Citizens"), a Colorado corporation, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, CICA Life Insurance Company of America ("CICA"), Security Plan Life Insurance Company ("SPLIC"), Security Plan Fire Insurance Company ("SPFIC"), Citizens National Life Insurance Company ("CNLIC"), Magnolia Guaranty Life Insurance Company ("MGLIC"), Computing Technology, Inc. ("CTI"), Insurance Investors, Inc. ("III") and CICA Life Ltd. Citizens and its wholly-owned subsidiaries are collectively referred to as "the Company," "we," "us" or "our."

The consolidated statement of financial position as of September 30, 2017, and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 and cash flows for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, have been prepared by the Company without audit. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments to present fairly the financial position, results of operations, and changes in cash flows at September 30, 2017 and for comparative periods have been made. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, the financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements, and notes thereto, for the year ended December 31, 2016. Operating results for the interim periods disclosed herein are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for a full year or any future period.

We provide primarily life insurance and a small amount of health insurance policies through our insurance subsidiaries: CICA, SPLIC, MGLIC and CNLIC. Until the end of 2016, CICA and CNLIC issued ordinary whole-life policies, credit life and disability, burial insurance, pre-need policies, and accident and health related policies, throughout the Midwest and southern United States. Beginning January 1, 2017, CICA and CNLIC ceased selling products domestically as the products failed to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment afforded by Section 7702 of the Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") of 1986. The Company is developing Section 7702 compliant products and will resume sales domestically once the products receive regulatory approval. CICA primarily issues ordinary whole-life and endowment policies to non-U.S. residents. SPLIC offers final expense and home service life insurance in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, and SPFIC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPLIC, writes a limited amount of property insurance in Louisiana. MGLIC provides industrial life policies through independent funeral homes in Mississippi.

CTI provides data processing systems and services, as well as furniture and equipment, to the Company. III provided aviation transportation to the Company, until the corporate plane was sold in the third quarter of 2017. As III's sole purpose was to provide aviation transportation to the Company, we plan to dissolve III and merge it into Citizens. CICA Life Ltd. is a newly established Bermuda entity with no operations to date.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts presented in the prior year have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. No individual amounts were material.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with U.S. GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The most significant estimates include those used in the evaluation of other-than-temporary impairments on debt and equity securities and valuation allowances on investments, actuarially determined assets and liabilities and assumptions, goodwill impairment, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, and contingencies relating to litigation and regulatory matters. Certain of these estimates are particularly sensitive to market conditions, and deterioration and/or volatility in the worldwide debt or equity markets could have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Significant Accounting Policies

For a description of significant accounting policies, see Note 1 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which should be read in conjunction with these accompanying consolidated financial statements.