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Amount previously classified as available-for-sale and as trading securities.

No definition available.

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Reclassification other components of net benefit cost from personnel to other operating expenses.

No definition available.

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Amount of cash restricted as to withdrawal or usage within money market investments.

No definition available.

Name:	bpop_RestrictedCashMoneyMarket
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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Amount after tax of increase (decrease) to equity or (increase) decrease to net assets, resulting from the cumulative effect adjustment of a new accounting principle applied in the period of adoption.

No definition available.

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Represents the quantification of the effect of adopting the new accounting standard or change in accounting principle expected by the entity to have a significant effect on the entity's financial statements.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_NewAccountingPronouncementOrChangeInAccountingPrincipleEffectOfAdoptionQuantification
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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_NewAccountingPronouncementsOrChangeInAccountingPrincipleLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
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Period Type:	duration

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Data Type:	na
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Name:	us-gaap_AdjustmentsForNewAccountingPronouncementsAxis=us-gaap_AccountingStandardsUpdate201602Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Name:	us-gaap_AdjustmentsForNewAccountingPronouncementsAxis=us-gaap_AccountingStandardsUpdate201615Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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Name:	us-gaap_AdjustmentsForNewAccountingPronouncementsAxis=us-gaap_AccountingStandardsUpdate201616Member
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