Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jul. 21, 2014
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Entity Registrant Name	Lilly Eli & Co
Entity Central Index Key	0000059478
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		1,117,308,330