Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
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	241,149,572