Earnings (Loss) Per Share (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Income (loss) used in basic and diluted earnings per share:
Net income (loss) attributable to Diebold, Incorporated	$ 33,020	$ (21,690)		$ 84,461	$ (140,171)
Denominator (in thousands):
Weighted-average number of common shares used in basic earnings per share	64,615	63,825		64,494	63,648
Effect of dilutive shares (1)	678	0	[1]	608	0	[1]
Weighted-average number of shares used in diluted earnings per share	65,293	63,825		65,102	63,648
Net income (loss) attributable to Diebold, Incorporated:
Basic earnings (loss) per share	$ 0.51	$ (0.34)		$ 1.31	$ (2.20)
Diluted earnings (loss) per share	$ 0.51	$ (0.34)		$ 1.30	$ (2.20)
Anti-dilutive shares (in thousands):
Anti-dilutive shares not used in calculating diluted weighted-average shares	917	2,846		1,163	3,057
Incremental Shares, Excluded From Dilutive Calculation, Due To Resulting in Operating Loss		479			560

[1] Incremental shares of 479 thousand and 560 thousand were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively, because their effect is anti-dilutive due to the net loss attributable to Diebold, Incorporated.