DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN INCOME TAXES (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Domestic and foreign components of income from continuing operations before domestic and foreign income taxes
Income from continuing operations before income taxes, Domestic	$ 4,930,000,000	$ 2,117,000,000	$ 4,806,000,000
Income from continuing operations before income taxes, Foreign	4,747,000,000	5,636,000,000	6,035,000,000
Income from continuing operations before income taxes, Total	9,677,000,000	7,753,000,000	10,841,000,000
Provisions (credits) for domestic and foreign income taxes on continuing operations
Current United States Federal tax expense (benefit)	361,000,000	(401,000,000)	320,000,000
Current State and Local tax expense (benefit)	37,000,000	8,000,000	88,000,000
Current Foreign tax expense (benefit)	2,170,000,000	2,383,000,000	2,357,000,000
Current Total tax expense (benefit)	2,568,000,000	1,990,000,000	2,765,000,000
Deferred United States Federal tax expense (benefit)	1,145,000,000	1,046,000,000	1,340,000,000
Deferred State and Local tax expense (benefit)	59,000,000	41,000,000	47,000,000
Deferred Foreign tax expense (benefit)	(17,000,000)	41,000,000	49,000,000
Deferred Total tax expense (benefit)	1,187,000,000	1,128,000,000	1,436,000,000
United States Federal Total tax expense (benefit)	1,506,000,000	645,000,000	1,660,000,000
State and Local Total tax expense (benefit)	96,000,000	49,000,000	135,000,000
Foreign Total tax expense (benefit)	2,153,000,000	2,424,000,000	2,406,000,000
Total tax expense (benefit)	3,755,000,000	3,118,000,000	4,201,000,000
Reconciliation of the United States federal statutory income tax rate to Occidental's worldwide effective tax rate on income from continuing operations
United States federal statutory tax rate (as a percent)	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
Operations outside the United States (as a percent)	4.00%	5.00%	4.00%
State income taxes, net of federal benefit (as a percent)	1.00%	1.00%	1.00%
Other (as a percent)	(1.00%)	(1.00%)	(1.00%)
Worldwide effective tax rate (as a percent)	39.00%	40.00%	39.00%
Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities
Deferred Tax Assets, environmental reserves	121,000,000	126,000,000
Deferred Tax Assets, postretirement benefit accruals	376,000,000	413,000,000
Deferred Tax Assets, deferred compensation and benefits	222,000,000	278,000,000
Deferred Tax Assets, asset retirement obligations	407,000,000	367,000,000
Deferred Tax Assets, foreign tax credit carryforwards	1,091,000,000	1,277,000,000
Deferred Tax Assets, Other tax credit carryforwards		195,000,000
Deferred tax Assets, federal benefit of state income taxes	136,000,000	89,000,000
Deferred Tax Assets, all other	344,000,000	334,000,000
Deferred Tax Assets, subtotal	2,697,000,000	3,079,000,000
Deferred Tax Assets, valuation allowance	(1,074,000,000)	(1,040,000,000)
Deferred Tax Assets, total deferred taxes	1,623,000,000	2,039,000,000
Deferred Tax Liabilities, property, plant and equipment differences	8,363,000,000	7,316,000,000
Deferred Tax Liabilities, equity investments, partnerships and foreign subsidiaries	225,000,000	351,000,000
Deferred Tax Liabilities, all other	82,000,000	161,000,000
Deferred Tax Liabilities, total deferred taxes	8,670,000,000	7,828,000,000
Deferred tax assets, current	150,000,000	250,000,000
Unremitted earnings of certain consolidated foreign subsidiaries	10,600,000,000
Deferred tax liability not recognized, indefinitely reinvested foreign earnings	134,000,000
Discontinued operations income tax charges (benefits)	9,000,000	7,000,000	86,000,000
Credit to additional paid-in capital, excess tax benefit from the exercise of certain stock-based compensation awards	6,000,000	8,000,000	14,000,000
Unrecognized tax benefits included in deferred credits and other liabilities - other that would affect effective tax rate	61,000,000
Reconciliation of unrecognized tax benefits
Balance, at beginning of period	76,000,000	67,000,000
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year		16,000,000
Reductions based on tax positions related to prior years and settlements	(15,000,000)	(7,000,000)
Balance, at end of period	$ 61,000,000	$ 76,000,000	$ 67,000,000