Earnings Per Share (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2013	Nov. 30, 2012
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income attributable to Apollo (basic and diluted)	$ 98,891	$ 133,495
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	113,326,000	112,420,000
Anti-dilutive securities [Line Items]
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	113,960,000	112,849,000
Basic income per share attributable to Apollo (in dollars per share)	$ 0.87	$ 1.19
Diluted income per share attributable to Apollo (in dollars per share)	$ 0.87	$ 1.18
Stock options [Member]
Anti-dilutive securities [Line Items]
Dilutive effect of share-based awards (in shares)	44,000	0
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from earnings per share computation	3,200,000	8,400,000
Restricted stock units and performance share awards [Member]
Anti-dilutive securities [Line Items]
Dilutive effect of share-based awards (in shares)	590,000	429,000
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from earnings per share computation	1,000,000	2,000,000