Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Nov. 02, 2018	Nov. 30, 2018
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	DOLLAR GENERAL CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000029534
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Nov. 02, 2018
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--02-01
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		262,884,331
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3