Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	May 05, 2015
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000746515
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Trading Symbol	EXPD
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		191,274,205