Taxation - Tax rates by jurisdiction (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016
Ireland | Active income
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	12.50%	[1]
Ireland | Passive income
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	25.00%
Bermuda
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	0.00%
United States
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	35.00%
United Kingdom
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	20.00%
Switzerland | Active income
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	21.15%	[2]
Germany
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	15.00%	[3]
Germany | Including surcharge and other taxes
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	33.00%
France
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	33.33%	[4]
France | Including surcharge and other taxes
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Applicable statutory tax rate, by jurisdiction	34.43%

[1] The 12.5% statutory corporate income tax rate applies to active income from the conduct of a trade in Ireland. For passive income or income from other defined activities the rate increases to 25%.

[2] Represents the combined federal and cantonal rate primarily applicable to XL Catlin Swiss entities.

[3] The statutory corporate income tax rate is 15% . However, including applicable surcharges and local trade tax, which can vary by location, would increase the combined statutory rate to approximately 33%.

[4] The statutory corporate income tax rate is 33.33%. However, with the mandatory social surcharge, the combined statutory rate would increase to 34.43%.