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Interim financial statements - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
Mar. 31, 2015
Dec. 31, 2014
Organization Consolidation And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]    
Percentage of voting rights owned in electing directors 50.00%us-gaap_EquityMethodInvestmentOwnershipPercentage  
Statutory reserve funds, investments $ 480,530,000us-gaap_RestrictedInvestments $ 438,511,000us-gaap_RestrictedInvestments
Statutory Reserve    
Organization Consolidation And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]    
Statutory reserve funds, cash and cash equivalents $ 22,700,000us-gaap_RestrictedCashAndCashEquivalents
/ us-gaap_RestrictedCashAndCashEquivalentsCashAndCashEquivalentsAxis
= stc_StatutoryReserveMember		 $ 57,400,000us-gaap_RestrictedCashAndCashEquivalents
/ us-gaap_RestrictedCashAndCashEquivalentsCashAndCashEquivalentsAxis
= stc_StatutoryReserveMember
Minimum | Stewart Information Services Corporation and subsidiaries    
Organization Consolidation And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]    
Percentage of voting rights owned in electing directors 20.00%us-gaap_EquityMethodInvestmentOwnershipPercentage
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_SubsidiariesMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember		  
Maximum | Stewart Information Services Corporation and subsidiaries    
Organization Consolidation And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]    
Percentage of voting rights owned in electing directors 50.00%us-gaap_EquityMethodInvestmentOwnershipPercentage
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_SubsidiariesMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember