Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2019 shares
Cover page.
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $1.00 par value per share
Document Type	10-Q/A
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2019
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	1-5690
Entity Registrant Name	GENUINE PARTS CO
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	GA
Entity Tax Identification Number	58-0254510
Entity Address, Address Line One	2999 WILDWOOD PARKWAY,
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	30339
Entity Address, City or Town	ATLANTA,
Entity Address, State or Province	GA
City Area Code	678
Local Phone Number	934-5000
Trading Symbol	GPC
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	146,078,369
Amendment Flag	true
Amendment Description	Genuine Parts Company (the "Company") is filing this Amendment No. 1 (the "Amendment") on Form 10-Q/A to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2019, which was originally filed on July 19, 2019. This Amendment is filed solely to clarify management's conclusion regarding the effectiveness of disclosure controls and procedures by replacing an inadvertent reference to "internal control over financial reporting" with "disclosure controls and procedures" in the first paragraph of "Item 4. Controls and Procedures." The remaining sections of Item 4 are unchanged. As a result, this Amendment contains only the Cover Page to this Form 10-Q/A, this Explanatory Note, the first two paragraphs of Item 4, the Exhibit Index, the Signature Page and the revised certifications in Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2. Because no financial statements have been included in this Amendment, paragraph 3 of each of the Section 302 certifications has been omitted. Except as described above, this Amendment does not alter or affect any other part or other information set forth in the original Form 10-Q. This Amendment does not reflect events that may have occurred subsequent to the filing of the original Form 10-Q or modify or update in any way disclosures made in the original Form 10-Q. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in conjunction with the original Form 10-Q and the Company’s other filings with the SEC. The filing of this Amendment is not an admission that the original Form 10-Q, when filed, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make a statement not misleading.
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Entity Central Index Key	0000040987
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31