Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Consumer products
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,528	$ 3,270	$ 2,064	$ 2,314
Receivables	256	268
Inventories:
Leaf tobacco	799	934
Other raw materials	184	170
Work in process	269	316
Finished product	432	359
Inventory, net	1,684	1,779
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income taxes	1,207	1,207
Other current assets	468	607
Total current assets	5,143	7,131
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	4,750	4,728
Less accumulated depreciation	2,619	2,512
Property, plant and equipment, net	2,131	2,216
Goodwill	5,174	5,174
Other intangible assets, net	12,088	12,098
Investment in SABMiller	6,486	5,509
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	472	1,257
Total consumer products assets	31,494	33,385
Financial services
Financial Services Assets Lease Receivables, net	3,012	3,559
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	41	18
Total financial services assets	3,053	3,577
TOTAL ASSETS	34,547	36,962
Consumer products
Current portion of long-term debt	600	600
Accounts payable	335	503
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	581	430
Taxes, except income taxes	218	220
Employment costs	110	225
Settlement charges	2,184	3,513
Other	1,217	1,311
Income taxes	0
Dividends payable	836	841
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Total current liabilities	6,081	7,643
Long-term debt	13,089	13,089
Deferred income taxes	5,074	4,751
Accrued pension costs	1,139	1,662
Accrued postretirement health care costs	2,367	2,359
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other liabilities	606	602
Total consumer products liabilities	28,356	30,106
Financial services
Deferred income taxes	1,764	2,811
Other liabilities	119	330
Total financial services liabilities	1,883	3,141
Total liabilities	30,239	33,247
Contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	33	32
Stockholders' Equity
Common stock	935	935
Additional paid-in capital	5,647	5,674
Earnings reinvested in the business	24,334	23,583
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	(1,674)	(1,887)		(1,484)
Cost of repurchased stock	(24,969)	(24,625)
Total stockholders' equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	4,273	3,680
Noncontrolling interests	2	3
Total stockholders' equity	4,275	3,683		5,195
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	34,547	36,962
Altria Group, Inc. [Member]
Consumer products
Cash and cash equivalents	1,502	3,245	2,041	2,298
Receivables	164	174
Inventories:
Leaf tobacco	0	0
Other raw materials	0	0
Work in process	0	0
Finished product	0	0
Inventory, net	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	986	403
Deferred income taxes	9	9
Other current assets	85	6
Total current assets	2,746	3,837
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	2	2
Less accumulated depreciation	2	2
Property, plant and equipment, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets, net	0	0
Investment in SABMiller	6,486	5,509
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	9,411	7,009
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	4,500	6,500
Other assets	191	941
Total consumer products assets	23,334	23,796
Financial services
Financial Services Assets Lease Receivables, net	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total financial services assets	0	0
TOTAL ASSETS	23,334	23,796
Consumer products
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	69	69
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	0	0
Taxes, except income taxes	0	0
Employment costs	25	29
Settlement charges	0	0
Other	308	384
Income taxes	0
Dividends payable	836	841
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	2,506	3,792
Total current liabilities	3,744	5,115
Long-term debt	12,790	12,790
Deferred income taxes	2,046	1,787
Accrued pension costs	230	236
Accrued postretirement health care costs	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other liabilities	251	188
Total consumer products liabilities	19,061	20,116
Financial services
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other liabilities	0	0
Total financial services liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	19,061	20,116
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Stockholders' Equity
Common stock	935	935
Additional paid-in capital	5,647	5,674
Earnings reinvested in the business	24,334	23,583
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	(1,674)	(1,887)
Cost of repurchased stock	(24,969)	(24,625)
Total stockholders' equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	4,273	3,680
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders' equity	4,273	3,680
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	23,334	23,796
PM USA [Member]
Consumer products
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Receivables	17	16
Inventories:
Leaf tobacco	445	565
Other raw materials	135	128
Work in process	4	4
Finished product	180	126
Inventory, net	764	823
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	1,909	3,007
Deferred income taxes	1,157	1,157
Other current assets	312	430
Total current assets	4,159	5,433
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	3,294	3,280
Less accumulated depreciation	2,074	2,005
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,220	1,275
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets, net	2	2
Investment in SABMiller	0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	3,028	3,035
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	553	586
Total consumer products assets	8,962	10,331
Financial services
Financial Services Assets Lease Receivables, net	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total financial services assets	0	0
TOTAL ASSETS	8,962	10,331
Consumer products
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	127	159
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	564	390
Taxes, except income taxes	203	209
Employment costs	9	12
Settlement charges	2,178	3,508
Other	552	620
Income taxes	0
Dividends payable	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	349	474
Total current liabilities	3,982	5,372
Long-term debt	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Accrued pension costs	0	0
Accrued postretirement health care costs	1,557	1,562
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other liabilities	203	216
Total consumer products liabilities	5,742	7,150
Financial services
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other liabilities	0	0
Total financial services liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	5,742	7,150
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Stockholders' Equity
Common stock	0	0
Additional paid-in capital	3,321	3,283
Earnings reinvested in the business	205	210
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	(306)	(312)
Cost of repurchased stock	0	0
Total stockholders' equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	3,220	3,181
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders' equity	3,220	3,181
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	8,962	10,331
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Consumer products
Cash and cash equivalents	26	25	23	16
Receivables	75	78
Inventories:
Leaf tobacco	354	369
Other raw materials	49	42
Work in process	265	312
Finished product	252	233
Inventory, net	920	956
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	1,608	1,765
Deferred income taxes	41	41
Other current assets	71	247
Total current assets	2,741	3,112
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	1,454	1,446
Less accumulated depreciation	543	505
Property, plant and equipment, net	911	941
Goodwill	5,174	5,174
Other intangible assets, net	12,086	12,096
Investment in SABMiller	0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	100	111
Total consumer products assets	21,012	21,434
Financial services
Financial Services Assets Lease Receivables, net	3,012	3,559
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	332	292
Other assets	41	18
Total financial services assets	3,053	3,869
TOTAL ASSETS	24,065	25,303
Consumer products
Current portion of long-term debt	600	600
Accounts payable	139	275
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	17	40
Taxes, except income taxes	15	11
Employment costs	76	184
Settlement charges	6	5
Other	357	383
Income taxes	0
Dividends payable	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	1,316	1,201
Total current liabilities	2,526	2,699
Long-term debt	299	299
Deferred income taxes	3,400	3,345
Accrued pension costs	909	1,426
Accrued postretirement health care costs	810	797
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	4,500	6,500
Other liabilities	152	198
Total consumer products liabilities	12,596	15,264
Financial services
Deferred income taxes	1,764	2,811
Other liabilities	119	330
Total financial services liabilities	2,215	3,141
Total liabilities	14,811	18,405
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	33	32
Stockholders' Equity
Common stock	9	9
Additional paid-in capital	10,215	8,238
Earnings reinvested in the business	593	265
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	(1,598)	(1,649)
Cost of repurchased stock	0	0
Total stockholders' equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	9,219	6,863
Noncontrolling interests	2	3
Total stockholders' equity	9,221	6,866
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	24,065	25,303
Total Consolidating Adjustments [Member]
Consumer products
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Receivables	0	0
Inventories:
Leaf tobacco	0	0
Other raw materials	0	0
Work in process	0	0
Finished product	0	0
Inventory, net	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	(4,503)	(5,175)
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other current assets	0	(76)
Total current assets	(4,503)	(5,251)
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	0	0
Less accumulated depreciation	0	0
Property, plant and equipment, net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets, net	0	0
Investment in SABMiller	0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	(12,439)	(10,044)
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	(4,500)	(6,500)
Other assets	(372)	(381)
Total consumer products assets	(21,814)	(22,176)
Financial services
Financial Services Assets Lease Receivables, net	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	(332)	(292)
Other assets	0	0
Total financial services assets	0	(292)
TOTAL ASSETS	(21,814)	(22,468)
Consumer products
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	0	0
Taxes, except income taxes	0	0
Employment costs	0	0
Settlement charges	0	0
Other	0	(76)
Income taxes	0
Dividends payable	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	(4,171)	(5,467)
Total current liabilities	(4,171)	(5,543)
Long-term debt	0	0
Deferred income taxes	(372)	(381)
Accrued pension costs	0	0
Accrued postretirement health care costs	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	(4,500)	(6,500)
Other liabilities	0	0
Total consumer products liabilities	(9,043)	(12,424)
Financial services
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other liabilities	0	0
Total financial services liabilities	(332)	0
Total liabilities	(9,375)	(12,424)
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Stockholders' Equity
Common stock	(9)	(9)
Additional paid-in capital	(13,536)	(11,521)
Earnings reinvested in the business	(798)	(475)
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	1,904	1,961
Cost of repurchased stock	0	0
Total stockholders' equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	(12,439)	(10,044)
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders' equity	(12,439)	(10,044)
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	$ (21,814)	$ (22,468)