Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016 shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	NTRS
Entity Registrant Name	NORTHERN TRUST CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000073124
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	226,590,921