Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	iSHARES INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Mar. 01, 2015
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	iSHARES® EMERGING MARKETS LOCAL CURRENCY BOND ETF Ticker: LEMB              Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of local currency denominated, emerging market sovereign bonds.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading	Portfolio Turnover.
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock	The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 43% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	43.00%
Expense Exchange Traded Fund Commissions [Text]	rr_ExpenseExchangeTradedFundCommissions	You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]	rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent	The expense information in the table has been restated as of March 2, 2015 to reflect current fees.
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example.
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Barclays Emerging Markets Broad Local Currency Bond Index (the “Underlying Index”), which measures the performance of local currency-denominated sovereign bond markets of emerging market countries. Securities included in the Underlying Index must be issued by countries that satisfy certain eligibility requirements for emerging market countries, and meet separate security-specific requirements. Eligible issuer countries must have a sovereign rating of A1/A+ or lower using the middle foreign currency long-term debt rating of Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services or Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), or be classified by the World Bank as a Low, Low/Middle or Upper/Middle Income country. Countries that are part of the Eurozone are excluded from the Underlying Index, regardless of their rating or World Bank classification. Eligible issuer countries must also have at least the local currency equivalent of U.S. $5 billion face amount of aggregate local currency treasury debt with maturities greater than one year outstanding as of July 1 of the preceding year. Each security issued by an eligible emerging market country included in the Underlying Index must separately have the local currency equivalent of U.S. $1 billion face amount outstanding and meet certain pricing and maturity requirements. Treasury bills and strips, floating-rate issues, inflation-linked bonds, dual currency bonds, and private placements are excluded from the Underlying Index. As of September 30, 2014, the Underlying Index included securities issued by Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey. BFA uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index and in investments that provide substantially similar exposure to the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before the fees and expenses of the Fund. The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). The Underlying Index is sponsored by Barclays Capital Inc. or its affiliates (the “Index Provider” or “Barclays”), which is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Strategy Portfolio Concentration [Text]	rr_StrategyPortfolioConcentration	Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Summary of Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Asset Class Risk. Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets, a particular securities market or other asset classes. Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund's income. Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may not honor their obligations or may have their debt downgraded by ratings agencies. Currency Risk. Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. Generally, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against a foreign currency will reduce the value of a security denominated in that foreign currency, thereby decreasing the Fund's overall NAV. Custody Risk. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Extension Risk. During periods of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the value of the Fund’s investments. Geographic Risk. A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests. High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” including those bonds rated lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch, or “Baa3” by Moody's), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity. Income Risk. The Fund's income may decline when interest rates fall. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data or index computation and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Interest Rate Risk. An increase in interest rates may cause the value of fixed-income securities held by the Fund to decline. Issuer Risk. Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. This can reduce the Fund's returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. Management Risk. As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment strategy may not produce the intended results. Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. Non-U.S. Issuers Risk. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers carry different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability, regulatory and economic differences, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. The Fund is specifically exposed to Asian Economic Risk and Central and South American Risk. Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The Fund invests in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. Through its portfolio companies' trading partners, the Fund is specifically exposed to Asian Economic Risk and Eastern European Economic Risk. Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. The Fund's investments in emerging market issuers may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities than developed markets. Risk of Investing in South Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to South Korea. In addition, economic and political developments of South Korea’s neighbors may have an adverse effect on the South Korean economy. Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. Security Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in these markets and may adversely affect their economies and the Fund's investments. Sovereign Obligations Risk. The Fund invests in securities issued by or guaranteed by non-U.S. sovereign governments, which may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. In times of economic uncertainty, the prices of these securities may be more volatile than those of corporate debt obligations or of other government debt obligations. Structural Risk. The countries in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. Treasury Obligations Risk. Treasury obligations may differ from other securities in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics and may provide relatively lower returns than those of other securities. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of the Fund's Treasury obligations to decline. Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text]	rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus	Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.
Performance Availability Phone [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone	1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	www.iShares.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	The best calendar quarter return during the periods shown above was 6.18% in the 1st quarter of 2012; the worst was -6.06% in the 2nd quarter of 2013. Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2014)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher	rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher	Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.50%	[1]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none	[1]
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	none	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	0.50%	[1]
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	51
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	160
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	280
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	628
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	13.77%
2013	rr_AnnualReturn2013	(4.92%)
2014	rr_AnnualReturn2014	(4.04%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	best
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Mar. 31, 2012
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	6.18%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	worst
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Jun. 30, 2013
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(6.06%)
One Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(4.04%)
Since Fund Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.38%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 18, 2011
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | Return After Taxes on Distributions | iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
One Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(5.02%)	[2]
Since Fund Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	(0.47%)	[2]
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
One Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.13%)	[2]
Since Fund Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.05%	[2]
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | Barclays Emerging Markets Broad Local Currency Bond Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
One Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(3.67%)
Since Fund Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.67%

[1] The expense information in the table has been restated as of March 2, 2015 to reflect current fees.

[2] After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.