Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 2,298	$ 2,369	$ 1,907	$ 3,321
Receivables	146	124
Inventories:
Leaf tobacco	844	957
Other raw materials	174	181
Work in process	410	444
Finished product	552	449
Inventory, net	1,980	2,031
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income taxes	1,188	1,175
Other current assets	791	387
Total current assets	6,403	6,086
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	4,820	4,877
Less accumulated depreciation	2,851	2,895
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,969	1,982
Goodwill	5,285	5,285
Other intangible assets, net	12,042	12,028
Investment in SABMiller	5,826	5,483
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Finance assets, net	1,046	1,239
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	363	360
Total Assets	32,934	32,463
Liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt	0	4
Accounts payable	296	400
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	797	695
Employment costs	216	198
Settlement charges	3,429	3,590
Other	964	1,081
Dividends payable	1,193	1,110
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Total current liabilities	6,895	7,078
Long-term debt	13,878	12,843
Deferred income taxes	5,607	5,663
Accrued pension costs	863	1,277
Accrued postretirement health care costs	2,296	2,245
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other liabilities	412	447
Total liabilities	29,951	29,553
Contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	36	37
Stockholders’ Equity
Common stock	935	935
Additional paid-in capital	5,864	5,813
Earnings reinvested in the business	27,816	27,257
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	(3,278)	(3,280)
Cost of repurchased stock	(28,393)	(27,845)
Total stockholders’ equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	2,944	2,880
Noncontrolling interests	3	(7)
Total stockholders’ equity	2,947	2,873		3,010
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	32,934	32,463
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Altria Group, Inc. [Member]
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	2,239	2,313	1,858	3,281
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	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other current assets	573	284
Total current assets	2,812	2,597
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	5,826	5,483
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	11,805	11,648
Finance assets, net	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	4,790	4,790
Other assets	18	20
Total Assets	25,251	24,538
Liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt		0
Accounts payable	3	3
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	0	0
Employment costs	80	18
Settlement charges	0	0
Other	301	354
Dividends payable	1,193	1,110
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	4,850	5,427
Total current liabilities	6,427	6,912
Long-term debt	13,878	12,831
Deferred income taxes	1,694	1,547
Accrued pension costs	193	215
Accrued postretirement health care costs	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other liabilities	115	153
Total liabilities	22,307	21,658
Contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Stockholders’ Equity
Common stock	935	935
Additional paid-in capital	5,864	5,813
Earnings reinvested in the business	27,816	27,257
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	(3,278)	(3,280)
Cost of repurchased stock	(28,393)	(27,845)
Total stockholders’ equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	2,944	2,880
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity	2,944	2,880
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	25,251	24,538
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | PM USA [Member]
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	1	0	2	3
Receivables	7	7
Inventories:
Leaf tobacco	510	562
Other raw materials	114	123
Work in process	6	5
Finished product	133	121
Inventory, net	763	811
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	3,673	3,821
Deferred income taxes	1,277	1,268
Other current assets	238	65
Total current assets	5,959	5,972
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	2,983	3,102
Less accumulated depreciation	2,082	2,157
Property, plant and equipment, net	901	945
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets, net	2	2
Investment in SABMiller	0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	2,714	2,715
Finance assets, net	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	537	536
Total Assets	10,113	10,170
Liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt		0
Accounts payable	86	104
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	681	586
Employment costs	7	11
Settlement charges	3,422	3,585
Other	517	616
Dividends payable	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	266	191
Total current liabilities	4,979	5,093
Long-term debt	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Accrued pension costs	0	0
Accrued postretirement health care costs	1,459	1,460
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other liabilities	164	126
Total liabilities	6,602	6,679
Contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Stockholders’ Equity
Common stock	0	0
Additional paid-in capital	3,310	3,310
Earnings reinvested in the business	467	436
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	(266)	(255)
Cost of repurchased stock	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	3,511	3,491
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity	3,511	3,491
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	10,113	10,170
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	58	56	47	37
Receivables	139	117
Inventories:
Leaf tobacco	334	395
Other raw materials	60	58
Work in process	404	439
Finished product	419	328
Inventory, net	1,217	1,220
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	1,453	1,807
Deferred income taxes	9	7
Other current assets	50	112
Total current assets	2,926	3,319
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	1,837	1,775
Less accumulated depreciation	769	738
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,068	1,037
Goodwill	5,285	5,285
Other intangible assets, net	12,040	12,026
Investment in SABMiller	0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Finance assets, net	1,046	1,239
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	144	131
Total Assets	22,509	23,037
Liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt		4
Accounts payable	207	293
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	116	109
Employment costs	129	169
Settlement charges	7	5
Other	314	285
Dividends payable	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	10	10
Total current liabilities	783	875
Long-term debt	0	12
Deferred income taxes	4,249	4,443
Accrued pension costs	670	1,062
Accrued postretirement health care costs	837	785
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	4,790	4,790
Other liabilities	133	168
Total liabilities	11,462	12,135
Contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	36	37
Stockholders’ Equity
Common stock	9	9
Additional paid-in capital	11,585	11,456
Earnings reinvested in the business	1,213	1,099
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	(1,799)	(1,692)
Cost of repurchased stock	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	11,008	10,872
Noncontrolling interests	3	(7)
Total stockholders’ equity	11,011	10,865
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	22,509	23,037
Total Consolidating Adjustments [Member]
Assets
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	(5,126)	(5,628)
Deferred income taxes	(98)	(100)
Other current assets	(70)	(74)
Total current assets	(5,294)	(5,802)
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	(14,519)	(14,363)
Finance assets, net	0	0
Due from Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	(4,790)	(4,790)
Other assets	(336)	(327)
Total Assets	(24,939)	(25,282)
Liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt		0
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities:
Marketing	0	0
Employment costs	0	0
Settlement charges	0	0
Other	(168)	(174)
Dividends payable	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	(5,126)	(5,628)
Total current liabilities	(5,294)	(5,802)
Long-term debt	0	0
Deferred income taxes	(336)	(327)
Accrued pension costs	0	0
Accrued postretirement health care costs	0	0
Due to Altria Group, Inc. and subsidiaries	(4,790)	(4,790)
Other liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	(10,420)	(10,919)
Contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Stockholders’ Equity
Common stock	(9)	(9)
Additional paid-in capital	(14,895)	(14,766)
Earnings reinvested in the business	(1,680)	(1,535)
Accumulated other comprehensive losses	2,065	1,947
Cost of repurchased stock	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity attributable to Altria Group, Inc.	(14,519)	(14,363)
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity	(14,519)	(14,363)
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	$ (24,939)	$ (25,282)