Unpaid principal amount of loans repurchased.

No definition available.

Name:	bpop_RepurchasedLoans
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Weighted average of mortgage servicing fees for each period presented.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_WeightedAverageMortgageServicingFees
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Principal amount of transferred financial assets in which the transferor has continuing involvement with the assets underlying the transaction. Continuing involvement includes, but is not limited to, servicing, recourse, and restrictions on transferor's interests in transferred financial assets.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (a)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121570589&loc=d3e107314-111719

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ContinuingInvolvementWithTransferredFinancialAssetsPrincipalAmountOutstanding
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount before allowance of loans and leases held in portfolio, including but not limited to, commercial and consumer loans. Includes deferred interest and fees, undisbursed portion of loan balance, unamortized costs and premiums and discounts from face amounts. Excludes loans and leases covered under loss sharing agreements.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121593590&loc=d3e4428-111522

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LoansAndLeasesReceivableGrossCarryingAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This is the principal amount outstanding for securitized loans only (across all types of loans).

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PrincipalAmountOutstandingOnLoansSecuritized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Reflects, by transferred financial asset type, the amount of sales proceeds in excess of or deficient from the sum of the carrying amounts of transferred financial assets plus transaction costs, including those transactions in which the seller/transferor has continuing involvement with the financial assets that have been transferred.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (b)(3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121570589&loc=d3e107207-111719

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritizationFinancialAssetForWhichTransferIsAccountedAsSaleGainLossOnSale
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

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.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritizationFinancialAssetForWhichTransferIsAccountedAsSaleLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

A description of the objectives, methodology, and limitations of the sensitivity analysis or stress test that shows the hypothetical effect on the fair value of transferor's interests in transferred financial assets (including any servicing assets or servicing liabilities) of two or more unfavorable variations from the expected levels for each key assumption that is reported, independently from any change in another key assumption.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121570589&loc=d3e107314-111719

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121570589&loc=d3e107314-111719

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SensitivityAnalysisOfFairValueOfInterestsContinuedToBeHeldByTransferorServicingAssetsOrLiabilitiesDescriptionOfObjectivesMethodologyAndLimitations
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fair value of an asset representing net future revenue from contractually specified servicing fees, late charges, and other ancillary revenues, in excess of future costs related to servicing arrangements.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 50
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6469459&loc=d3e122501-111745

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 50
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6469459&loc=d3e122492-111745

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 50
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (a)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116651436&loc=d3e122625-111746

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 50
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6469459&loc=d3e122501-111745

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ServicingAssetAtFairValueAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=bpop_PopularBankMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsNotesLoansAndFinancingReceivableByReceivableTypeAxis=bpop_LoansWithRecourseMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis=us-gaap_GovernmentNationalMortgageAssociationCertificatesAndObligationsGNMAMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_QualitativeAndQuantitativeInformationTransferorsContinuingInvolvementTransferredFinancialAssetsByTransferOrTransfereeAxis=bpop_BuyBackOptionProgramMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=bpop_ServicedMortgageLoansMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Transfers of financial assets and servicing assets - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2021	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Line Items]
Weighted average mortgage servicing fees	0.30%	0.30%
Mortgage loans related to buy-back option program	$ 29,344,620		$ 29,588,430
Sensitivity Analysis Of Fair Value Of Interests Continued To Be Held By Transfer or Servicing Assets Or Liabilities Description Of Objectives Methodology And Limitations	The sensitivity analyses presented in the table above for servicing rights are hypothetical and should be used with caution. As the figures indicate, changes in fair value based on a 10 and 20 percent variation in assumptions generally cannot be extrapolated because the relationship of the change in assumption to the change in fair value may not be linear. Also, in the sensitivity tables included herein, the effect of a variation in a particular assumption on the fair value of the retained interest is calculated without changing any other assumption. In reality, changes in one factor may result in changes in another (for example, increases in market interest rates may result in lower prepayments and increased credit losses), which might magnify or counteract the sensitivities.
Mortgage servicing rights	$ 122,543	$ 147,311	118,395	$ 150,906
PB
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Line Items]
Mortgage servicing rights	1,000
Loans with Recourse
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Line Items]
Loans serviced	900,000		900,000
GNMA
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Line Items]
Repurchased loans	44,000	22,000
Buy back option program
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Line Items]
Mortgage loans related to buy-back option program	29,000		57,000
Residential Mortgage
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Line Items]
Securitization Financial Asset For Which Transfer Is Accounted As Sale Gain Loss On Sale	3,700	3,800
Mortgage loans related to buy-back option program	1,700,000		1,800,000
Serviced Mortgage Loans
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Line Items]
Servicing rights on whole loan sales, principal balance	65,000	10,000
Securitization Financial Asset For Which Transfer Is Accounted As Sale Gain Loss On Sale	1,300	$ 200
Loans serviced	12,700,000		12,900,000
Serviced Mortgage Loans \| Loans with Recourse
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Line Items]
Repurchased loans	$ 8,000		$ 8,000