Related Party Transactions (Schedule of related Party Transactions) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Nonrecourse Debt Type [Domain] \| Mong Duong Finance Holdings B.V._Related Party [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction, Due from (to) Related Party	$ 1,000
Affiliated Entity
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Interest Income	10	$ 12	$ 20
Interest expense	95	88	131
Electricity, Generation [Member] \| Affiliated Entity
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Revenue—Non-Regulated	1,093	1,159	1,506
Cost of Sales—Non-Regulated	$ 352	$ 324	$ 504

Amount of interest expense incurred on a debt or other obligation to related party.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_InterestExpenseRelatedParty
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of interest income earned from interest-bearing assets owed to the entity by related party.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount included in cost of sales related to transactions with related parties incurred and recorded in the statement of operations for the period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03(2))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126953954&loc=SL114868664-224227

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_RelatedPartiesAmountInCostOfSales
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Receivables to be collected from (obligations owed to) related parties, net as of the balance sheet date where one party can exercise control or significant influence over another party; including affiliates, owners or officers and their immediate families, pension trusts, and so forth.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1B
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-02(a)(4)(iii)(C))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442552-122756

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1B
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-02(a)(5))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442552-122756

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-01(a)(5))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442526-122756

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08(k)(1))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120395691&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-01(a)(4)(iv))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442526-122756

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1B
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-02(a)(4)(iv))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442552-122756

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 850
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39549-107864

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-01(a)(4)(iii)(B))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442526-122756

+ Details

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

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

- Definition

Amount of revenue, fees and commissions earned from transactions between (a) a parent company and its subsidiaries; (b) subsidiaries of a common parent; (c) an entity and trusts for the benefit of employees, for example, but not limited to, pension and profit-sharing trusts that are managed by or under the trusteeship of the entity's management; (d) an entity and its principal, owners, management, or members of their immediate families; and (e) affiliates.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1B
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-02(a)(4)(iv))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442552-122756

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 946
-SubTopic 220
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.6-07.1(c))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120401555&loc=SL114874292-224272

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-01(a)(4)(iii)(B))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442526-122756

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1B
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-02(a)(4)(iii)(C))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442552-122756

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-01(a)(5))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442526-122756

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1B
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-02(a)(5))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442552-122756

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (SX 210.13-01(a)(4)(iv))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126975872&loc=SL124442526-122756

Reference 8: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.1(e))
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126953954&loc=SL114868664-224227

+ Details

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

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=aes_NonrecourseDebtTypeDomain
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=aes_MongDuongFinanceHoldingsB.V._RelatedPartyMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis=srt_AffiliatedEntityMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	srt_ProductOrServiceAxis=us-gaap_ElectricityGenerationMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: