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DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS - Additional Information (Detail)
3 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
USD ($)
counterparties
currency
Dec. 31, 2014
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
Net investment hedge
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2014
Net investment hedge
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Net investment hedge
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
Net investment hedge
Foreign currency forwards
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Net investment hedge
Foreign currency forwards
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
Cash flow hedges
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2014
Cash flow hedges
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Cash flow hedges
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
3.625% senior notes due November 2024
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
3.25% senior notes due March 2025
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
3.625% senior notes due June 2023
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
2.65% senior notes due February 2017
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
2.40% senior notes due March 2020
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
4.00% senior notes due February 2022
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
5.50% subordinated notes due September 2052
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
February twenty fifteen profit repatriation
Foreign currency forwards
JPY (¥)
Mar. 31, 2015
Profit repatriation
Foreign currency forwards
JPY (¥)
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Line Items]                                      
Hedging activity, weighted-average period (in years) 11 years                                    
Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Current Period, before Tax     $ 0us-gaap_ReclassificationFromAccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeCurrentPeriodBeforeTax
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_NetInvestmentHedgingMember
$ 0us-gaap_ReclassificationFromAccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeCurrentPeriodBeforeTax
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_NetInvestmentHedgingMember
                             
Number of currencies related to foreign currency swaps 1afl_NumberOfCurrencies                                    
Number of counterparties 16afl_NumberOfCounterparties                                    
Number of counterparties that comprise majority of aggregate notional amount of swaps 5afl_NumberOfCounterpartiesThatCompriseMajorityOfAggregateNotionalAmountOfSwaps                                    
Percentage of notional amount of swaps from certain number of counterparties 75.00%afl_PercentageOfNotionalAmountOfSwapsFromCertainNumberOfCounterparties                                    
Collateral Already Posted, Aggregate Fair Value 87,000,000us-gaap_CollateralAlreadyPostedAggregateFairValue 1,600,000,000us-gaap_CollateralAlreadyPostedAggregateFairValue                                  
Derivative, Net Liability Position, Aggregate Fair Value 196,000,000us-gaap_DerivativeNetLiabilityPositionAggregateFairValue 2,100,000,000us-gaap_DerivativeNetLiabilityPositionAggregateFairValue                                  
Additional Collateral, Aggregate Fair Value 109,000,000us-gaap_AdditionalCollateralAggregateFairValue                                    
Collateral obtained from third parties 552,000,000us-gaap_DerivativeAssetFairValueOfCollateral 619,000,000us-gaap_DerivativeAssetFairValueOfCollateral                                  
Notes payable, principal amount                     750,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= afl_SeniorNotesThreePointSixTwoFivePercentDueNovemberTwentyTwentyFourMember
450,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= afl_SeniorNotesThreePointTwoFivePercentDueMarchTwentyTwentyFiveMember
700,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= afl_SeniorNotesThreePointSixTwoFivePercentDueJuneTwentyTwentyThreeMember
400,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= afl_SeniorNotesTwoPointSixFivePercentDueFebruaryTwentySeventeenMember
550,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= afl_SeniorNotesTwoPointFourZeroPercentDueMarchTwentyTwentyMember
350,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= afl_SeniorNotesFourPointZeroZeroPercentDueFebruaryTwentyTwentyTwoMember
500,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= afl_SubordinatedNotesFivePointFiveZeroPercentDueSeptemberTwentyFiftyTwoMember
   
Notional Amount of Derivatives 23,398,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount 23,662,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount 1,311,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_NetInvestmentHedgingMember
  1,307,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_NetInvestmentHedgingMember
1,311,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignExchangeForwardMember
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_NetInvestmentHedgingMember
1,307,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignExchangeForwardMember
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_NetInvestmentHedgingMember
75,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
  75,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
              30,000,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignExchangeForwardMember
/ afl_ProfitRepatriationAxis
= afl_FebruaryTwentyFifteenProfitRepatriationMember
157,500,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignExchangeForwardMember
/ afl_ProfitRepatriationAxis
= afl_ProfitrepatriationMember
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net               $ 0us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOCIIntoIncomeEffectivePortionNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
$ 0us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOCIIntoIncomeEffectivePortionNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember