Contingencies (Overview of Altria Group, Inc. and/or PM USA Tobacco-Related Litigation Narrative) (Details) $ in Millions		1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	145 Months Ended	213 Months Ended	245 Months Ended
	Oct. 24, 2016 case	Mar. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2015 case	May 31, 2001 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 case	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) case	Oct. 24, 2016 USD ($) case	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) case	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) case	Oct. 26, 2015 case	Oct. 27, 2014 case
Aspinall [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Litigation settlement interest expense (income) | $						$ 10
Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending										1	1
Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending										5	5
Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending										65	67
Lights Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending										12	13
Subsequent Event [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	1						1
Subsequent Event [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	5						5
Subsequent Event [Member] | Engle Progeny Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Judgments paid | $							$ 82
Litigation settlement interest expense (income) | $							$ 21
Subsequent Event [Member] | Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	66						66
Subsequent Event [Member] | Tobacco and Health Judgment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Judgments paid | $							$ 428
Litigation settlement interest expense (income) | $							$ 183
Subsequent Event [Member] | Lights Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	9						9
Philip Morris USA and Altria Group [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member] | Canada [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	8						8
Philip Morris USA and Altria Group [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] | Canada [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	7						7
PM USA [Member] | Pending Litigation [Member] | Other Assets [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Security posted for appeal of judgments | $						$ 72		$ 72	$ 72
PM USA [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed									60
PM USA [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] | CALIFORNIA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed									1
PM USA [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] | Florida [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed									2
PM USA [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] | LOUISIANA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed									1
PM USA [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] | NEW JERSEY
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed									6
PM USA [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] | New York [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed									2
PM USA [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] | OHIO
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed									1
PM USA [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] | PENNSYLVANIA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed									1
PM USA [Member] | Engle Progeny Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Payments made | $				$ 500
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of verdicts returned								61
Number of favorable verdicts								41
Number of unfavorable verdicts								20
Number of claims resolved								17
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | ALASKA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								1
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | CALIFORNIA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								7
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | Florida [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								10
Number cases with granted new trial						1		1	1
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | LOUISIANA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								1
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | Massachusetts [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								2
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | MISSISSIPPI
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								1
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | MISSOURI
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								4
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | NEW HAMPSHIRE
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								1
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | NEW JERSEY
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								1
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | New York [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								5
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | OHIO
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								2
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | PENNSYLVANIA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								1
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | RHODE ISLAND
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								1
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | TENNESSEE
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								2
PM USA [Member] | Non Engle Progeny Cases [Member] | WEST VIRGINIA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of favorable verdicts								2
PM USA [Member] | Federal Engle Progeny Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims resolved			415		415
Payments made | $		$ 43
PM USA [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member] | Canada [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	10						10
PM USA [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Engle Progeny Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	3						3
Number of cases set for trial	5						5
Number of verdicts returned	102
Number of favorable verdicts	43
Number of unfavorable verdicts	56
PM USA [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases set for trial	1						1
PM USA [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Federal Engle Progeny Cases [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases pending	14						14
Number of favorable verdicts	9
Payments made | $							$ 43
PM USA [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Medical Monitoring Class Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases set for trial	0						0
PM USA [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Lights Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of cases set for trial	0						0