Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 10-Q 8 May 15 2015 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_And_Entity_Informatio

Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Apr. 30, 2015
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-15
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Entity Registrant Name	Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	1297996
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		135,799,327
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-15
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Entity Registrant Name	Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Entity Central Index Key	1494877
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Properties:
Land	$657,770	$671,602
Acquired ground leases	12,630	12,196
Buildings and improvements	8,833,712	8,823,814
Tenant improvements	513,379	475,000
Total investments in properties	10,017,491	9,982,612
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	-1,962,966	-1,874,054
Net investments in properties	8,054,525	8,108,558
Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures	103,475	94,729
Net investments in real estate	8,158,000	8,203,287
Cash and cash equivalents	37,329	41,321
Accounts and other receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $6,439 and $6,302 as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively	112,995	135,931
Deferred rent	455,834	447,643
Acquired above-market leases, net	34,757	38,605
Acquired in-place lease value and deferred leasing costs, net	434,917	456,962
Deferred financing costs, net	28,243	30,821
Restricted cash	11,934	11,555
Assets held for sale	81,667	120,471
Other assets	52,750	40,188
Total assets	9,408,426	9,526,784
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Unsecured senior notes, net of discount	2,672,472	2,791,758
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	376,527	378,818
Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities	523,948	605,923
Accrued dividends and distributions	0	115,019
Acquired below-market leases, net	97,234	104,235
Security deposits and prepaid rents	108,244	108,478
Obligations associated with assets held for sale	3,228	5,764
Total liabilities	5,550,565	5,612,546
Commitments and contingencies
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Common Stock: $0.01 par value, 215,000,000 shares authorized, 135,793,668 and 135,626,255 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	1,350	1,349
Additional paid-in capital	3,967,846	3,970,439
Accumulated dividends in excess of earnings	-1,110,298	-1,096,607
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	-91,562	-45,046
Total stockholders’ equity	3,815,457	3,878,256
Noncontrolling Interests:
Noncontrolling interests in operating partnership	35,596	29,191
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures	6,808	6,791
Total noncontrolling interests	42,404	35,982
Total equity	3,857,861	3,914,238
Total liabilities and equity/capital	9,408,426	9,526,784
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Properties:
Land	657,770	671,602
Acquired ground leases	12,630	12,196
Buildings and improvements	8,833,712	8,823,814
Tenant improvements	513,379	475,000
Total investments in properties	10,017,491	9,982,612
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	-1,962,966	-1,874,054
Net investments in properties	8,054,525	8,108,558
Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures	103,475	94,729
Net investments in real estate	8,158,000	8,203,287
Cash and cash equivalents	37,329	41,321
Accounts and other receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $6,439 and $6,302 as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively	112,995	135,931
Deferred rent	455,834	447,643
Acquired above-market leases, net	34,757	38,605
Acquired in-place lease value and deferred leasing costs, net	434,917	456,962
Deferred financing costs, net	28,243	30,821
Restricted cash	11,934	11,555
Assets held for sale	81,667	120,471
Other assets	52,750	40,188
Total assets	9,408,426	9,526,784
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Unsecured senior notes, net of discount	2,672,472	2,791,758
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	376,527	378,818
Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities	523,948	605,923
Accrued dividends and distributions	0	115,019
Acquired below-market leases, net	97,234	104,235
Security deposits and prepaid rents	108,244	108,478
Obligations associated with assets held for sale	3,228	5,764
Total liabilities	5,550,565	5,612,546
Commitments and contingencies
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
135,793,668 and 135,626,255 units issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	2,858,898	2,875,181
Limited partners, 1,425,314 and 1,463,814 common units, 1,120,160 and 1,170,610 profits interest units and 379,237 and 379,237 class C units outstanding as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	39,909	32,578
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	-95,875	-48,433
Total partners’ capital	3,851,053	3,907,447
Noncontrolling Interests:
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures	6,808	6,791
Total capital	3,857,861	3,914,238
Total liabilities and equity/capital	9,408,426	9,526,784
Series E Preferred Units
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Preferred Stock	277,172	277,172
Series E Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Preferred Stock	277,172	277,172
Series F Preferred Units
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Preferred Stock	176,191	176,191
Series F Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Preferred Stock	176,191	176,191
Series G Preferred Units
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Preferred Stock	241,468	241,468
Series G Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Preferred Stock	241,468	241,468
Series H Preferred Units
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Preferred Stock	353,290	353,290
Series H Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 70,000,000 shares authorized:
Preferred Stock	353,290	353,290
Global revolving credit facility
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Line of credit	826,906	525,951
Global revolving credit facility | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Line of credit	826,906	525,951
Unsecured term loan
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Line of credit	942,006	976,600
Unsecured term loan | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Line of credit	$942,006	$976,600

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance1

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounts and other receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $6,439 and $6,302 as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	$6,439,000	$6,302,000
Preferred Stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred Stock, authorized	70,000,000	70,000,000
Common Stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common Stock, authorized	215,000,000	215,000,000
Common Stock, shares issued	135,793,668	135,626,255
Common Stock, shares outstanding	135,793,668	135,626,255
Series E Preferred Units
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	7.00%	7.00%
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference value	287,500,000	287,500,000
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share/unit	$25	$25
Preferred stock, issued (shares)	11,500,000	11,500,000
Preferred Stock, outstanding	11,500,000	11,500,000
Series F Preferred Units
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	6.63%	6.63%
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference value	182,500,000	182,500,000
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share/unit	$25	$25
Preferred stock, issued (shares)	7,300,000	7,300,000
Preferred Stock, outstanding	7,300,000	7,300,000
Series G Preferred Units
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	5.88%	5.88%
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference value	250,000,000	250,000,000
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share/unit	$25	$25
Preferred stock, issued (shares)	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred Stock, outstanding	10,000,000	10,000,000
Series H Preferred Units
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	7.38%	7.38%
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference value	365,000,000	365,000,000
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share/unit	$25	$25
Preferred stock, issued (shares)	14,600,000	14,600,000
Preferred Stock, outstanding	14,600,000	14,600,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Accounts and other receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $6,439 and $6,302 as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	6,439,000	6,302,000
Preferred Stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred Stock, authorized	70,000,000	70,000,000
Common Stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common Stock, authorized	215,000,000	215,000,000
Common Units, issued	135,793,668	135,626,255
Common Units, outstanding	135,793,668	135,626,255
Limited Partners, common units	1,425,314	1,463,814
Limited Partners, profits interest units	1,120,160	1,170,610
Limited Partners, Class C units outstanding	379,237	379,237
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Series E Preferred Units
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	7.00%	7.00%
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference value	287,500,000	287,500,000
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share/unit	$25	$25
Preferred Units, issued	11,500,000	11,500,000
Preferred Units, outstanding	11,500,000	11,500,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Series F Preferred Units
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	6.63%	6.63%
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference value	182,500,000	182,500,000
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share/unit	$25	$25
Preferred Units, issued	7,300,000	7,300,000
Preferred Units, outstanding	7,300,000	7,300,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Series G Preferred Units
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	5.88%	5.88%
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference value	250,000,000	250,000,000
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share/unit	$25	$25
Preferred Units, issued	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred Units, outstanding	10,000,000	10,000,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Series H Preferred Units
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	7.38%	7.38%
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference value	$365,000,000	$365,000,000
Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share/unit	$25	$25
Preferred Units, issued	14,600,000	14,600,000
Preferred Units, outstanding	14,600,000	14,600,000

Condensed_Consolidated_Income_

Condensed Consolidated Income Statements (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Operating Revenues:
Rental	$319,166	$305,786
Tenant reimbursements	85,829	83,621
Fee income	1,614	1,183
Total operating revenues	406,609	390,590
Operating Expenses:
Rental property operating and maintenance	124,563	117,896
Property taxes	23,263	22,125
Insurance	2,155	2,422
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	-43,034	-3,403
Depreciation and amortization	129,073	130,620
General and administrative	21,194	30,678
Transactions	93	81
Other	-16	164
Total operating expenses	257,291	300,583
Operating income	149,318	90,007
Other Income (Expenses):
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures	4,618	2,581
Gain on sale of property	17,820	0
Gain on contribution of properties to unconsolidated joint ventures	0	1,906
Interest and other income (expense)	-2,290	1,727
Interest expense	-45,466	-47,374
Tax expense	-1,675	-1,838
Loss from early extinguishment of debt	0	-292
Net income	122,325	46,717
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-2,142	-805
Net income attributable to Digital Realty Trust, Inc./Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	120,183	45,912
Preferred stock/unit dividends/distributions	-18,455	-11,726
Net income available to common stock/unitholders	101,728	34,186
Net income per share/unit available to common stockholders/unitholders:
Basic ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.27
Diluted ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.26
Weighted average common shares/units outstanding:
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-basic (shares)	135,704,525	128,535,995
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-diluted (shares)	136,128,800	129,136,961
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Operating Revenues:
Rental	319,166	305,786
Tenant reimbursements	85,829	83,621
Fee income	1,614	1,183
Total operating revenues	406,609	390,590
Operating Expenses:
Rental property operating and maintenance	124,563	117,896
Property taxes	23,263	22,125
Insurance	2,155	2,422
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	-43,034	-3,403
Depreciation and amortization	129,073	130,620
General and administrative	21,194	30,678
Transactions	93	81
Other	-16	164
Total operating expenses	257,291	300,583
Operating income	149,318	90,007
Other Income (Expenses):
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures	4,618	2,581
Gain on sale of property	17,820	0
Gain on contribution of properties to unconsolidated joint ventures	0	1,906
Interest and other income (expense)	-2,290	1,727
Interest expense	-45,466	-47,374
Tax expense	-1,675	-1,838
Loss from early extinguishment of debt	0	-292
Net income	122,325	46,717
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-116	-112
Net income attributable to Digital Realty Trust, Inc./Digital Realty Trust, L.P.	122,209	46,605
Preferred stock/unit dividends/distributions	-18,455	-11,726
Net income available to common stock/unitholders	$103,754	$34,879
Net income per share/unit available to common stockholders/unitholders:
Basic ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.27
Diluted ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.26
Weighted average common shares/units outstanding:
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-basic (shares)	138,406,993	131,142,664
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-diluted (shares)	138,831,268	131,743,630

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Net income	$122,325	$46,717
Other comprehensive income:
Foreign currency translation adjustments	-45,843	3,819
Increase (decrease) in fair value of interest rate swaps	-2,417	-1,343
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	818	846
Comprehensive income	74,883	50,039
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-1,216	-871
Comprehensive income attributable to Digital Realty Trust, Inc.	73,667	49,168
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Net income	122,325	46,717
Other comprehensive income:
Foreign currency translation adjustments	-45,843	3,819
Increase (decrease) in fair value of interest rate swaps	-2,417	-1,343
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	818	846
Comprehensive income	$74,883	$50,039

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Equity (USD $)	Total	Preferred Stock	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Dividends in Excess of Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, net	Total Stockholders’ Equity	Noncontrolling Interests in Operating Partnership	Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Joint Ventures	Total Noncontrolling Interests
In Thousands, except Share data
Balance as of December 31, 2014 at Dec. 31, 2014	$3,914,238	$1,048,121	$1,349	$3,970,439	($1,096,607)	($45,046)	$3,878,256	$29,191	$6,791	$35,982
Shares, Outstanding, Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2014			135,626,255
Conversion of units to common stock			1	856			857	-857		-857
Conversion of units to common stock (shares)			79,274
Issuance of unvested restricted stock, net of forfeitures (shares)			80,138
Common stock offering costs	-148			-148			-148
Exercise of stock options	334			334			334
Exercise of stock options (shares)	8,001		8,001
Amortization of unearned compensation on share-based awards	4,967			4,967			4,967
Reclassification of vested share-based awards				-8,602			-8,602	8,602		8,602
Dividends declared on preferred stock	-18,455				-18,455		-18,455
Dividends and distributions on common stock and common and incentive units	-117,859				-115,419		-115,419	-2,440		-2,440
Distributions to noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures, net of contributions	-99								-99	-99
Net income	122,325				120,183		120,183	2,026	116	2,142
Other comprehensive income—foreign currency translation adjustments	-45,843					-44,948	-44,948	-895		-895
Other comprehensive loss—fair value of interest rate swaps	-2,417					-2,370	-2,370	-47		-47
Other comprehensive income—reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense	818					802	802	16		16
Balance as of March 31, 2015 at Mar. 31, 2015	$3,857,861	$1,048,121	$1,350	$3,967,846	($1,110,298)	($91,562)	$3,815,457	$35,596	$6,808	$42,404
Shares, Outstanding, Ending Balance at Mar. 31, 2015			135,793,668

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Cap

Consolidated Statements Of Capital (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Balance (units)	135,626,255
Conversion of limited partner common units to general partner common units	$857
Amortization of unearned compensation on share-based awards	4,967
Net income	122,325
Other comprehensive income—foreign currency translation adjustments	-45,843
Other comprehensive loss—fair value of interest rate swaps	-2,417
Other comprehensive income—reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense	818
Balance (units)	135,793,668
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Balance as of December 31, 2014	3,914,238
Common unit offering costs	-148
Issuance of common units in connection with the exercise of stock options	334
Amortization of unearned compensation on share-based awards	4,967
Distributions	-136,314
Distributions to noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures, net of contributions	-99
Net income	122,325
Other comprehensive income—foreign currency translation adjustments	-45,843
Other comprehensive loss—fair value of interest rate swaps	-2,417
Other comprehensive income—reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense	818
Balance as of March 31, 2015	3,857,861
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, net | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Balance as of December 31, 2014	-48,433
Other comprehensive income—foreign currency translation adjustments	-45,843
Other comprehensive loss—fair value of interest rate swaps	-2,417
Other comprehensive income—reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense	818
Balance as of March 31, 2015	-95,875
Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Joint Ventures | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Balance as of December 31, 2014	6,791
Distributions to noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures, net of contributions	-99
Net income	116
Balance as of March 31, 2015	6,808
General Partner | Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Balance as of December 31, 2014	1,048,121
Balance (units)	43,400,000
Distributions	-18,455
Net income	18,455
Balance as of March 31, 2015	1,048,121
Balance (units)	43,400,000
General Partner | Common Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Balance as of December 31, 2014	2,875,181
Balance (units)	135,626,255
Conversion of limited partner common units to general partner common units	857
Conversion of limited partner common units to general partner common units (units)	79,274
Issuance of unvested restricted common units, net of forfeitures (units)	80,138
Common unit offering costs	-148
Issuance of common units in connection with the exercise of stock options	334
Issuance of common units in connection with the exercise of stock options (units)	8,001
Amortization of unearned compensation on share-based awards	4,967
Reclassification of vested share-based awards	-8,602
Distributions	-115,419
Net income	101,728
Balance as of March 31, 2015	2,858,898
Balance (units)	135,793,668
Limited Partners | Common Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Balance as of December 31, 2014	32,578
Balance (units)	3,013,661
Conversion of limited partner common units to general partner common units	-857
Conversion of limited partner common units to general partner common units (units)	-79,274
Issuance of common units, net of forfeitures (units)	-9,676
Reclassification of vested share-based awards	8,602
Distributions	-2,440
Net income	2,026
Balance as of March 31, 2015	$39,909
Balance (units)	2,924,711

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme2

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$122,325	$46,717
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Gain on sale of properties	-17,820	0
Gain on contribution of investment property to unconsolidated joint venture	0	-1,906
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures	-4,618	-2,581
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	-43,034	-3,403
Distributions from unconsolidated joint ventures	3,436	2,214
Write-off of net assets due to early lease terminations	-30	0
Depreciation and amortization of buildings and improvements, tenant improvements and acquired ground leases	111,696	111,142
Amortization of share-based unearned compensation	2,965	8,985
Allowance for doubtful accounts	137	1,580
Amortization of deferred financing costs	2,216	2,085
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	0	292
Amortization of debt discount/premium	484	385
Amortization of acquired in-place lease value and deferred leasing costs	17,379	19,478
Amortization of acquired above-market leases and acquired below-market leases	-2,324	-2,788
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Restricted cash	-399	-1,589
Accounts and other receivables	18,731	2,129
Deferred rent	-13,369	-21,335
Deferred leasing costs	-4,494	-6,798
Other assets	-14,849	-14,227
Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities	-42,482	-26,051
Security deposits and prepaid rents	2,972	2,082
Net cash provided by operating activities	138,922	116,411
Cash flows from investing activities:
Proceeds from sale of properties, net	43,274	0
Proceeds from contribution of investment properties to unconsolidated joint ventures	0	11,408
Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures	-7,547	-10,564
Investment in equity securities	0	-5
Receipt of value added tax refund	14,115	425
Refundable value added tax paid	-12,403	-2,289
Change in restricted cash	-75	-814
Improvements to and advances for investments in real estate	-183,817	-224,118
Improvement advances to tenants	-8,040	-2,499
Collection of advances from tenants for improvements	5,423	912
Net cash used in investing activities	-149,070	-227,544
Cash flows from financing activities:
Borrowings on revolving credit facility	540,142	433,297
Repayments on revolving credit facility	-213,468	-371,351
Repayments on other unsecured loans	-67,000	0
Principal payments on mortgage loans	-2,255	-3,343
Change in restricted cash	51	-68
Payment of loan fees and costs	-68	-150
Capital distributions paid to noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures, net	-99	0
Gross proceeds from the issuance of preferred stock	0	300,000
Common stock offering costs paid	-148	-100
Preferred stock offering costs paid	0	-10,143
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	334	38
Payment of dividends/distributions to preferred stockholders/unitholders	-18,455	-11,726
Payment of dividends/distributions to common unit/stockholders and distributions to noncontrolling interests in operating partnership	-232,878	-211,887
Net cash provided by financing activities	6,156	124,567
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	-3,992	13,434
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	41,321	56,808
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	37,329	70,242
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest	63,289	67,824
Cash paid for income taxes	1,185	863
Supplementary disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities:
Change in net assets related to foreign currency translation adjustments	-45,843	3,819
(Decrease) increase in accounts payable and other accrued liabilities related to change in fair value of interest rate swaps	-2,417	-1,343
Noncontrolling interests in operating partnership redeemed for or converted to shares of common stock	857	51
Accrual for additions to investments in real estate and tenant improvement advances included in accounts payable and accrued expenses	173,246	197,376
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	122,325	46,717
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Gain on sale of properties	-17,820	0
Gain on contribution of investment property to unconsolidated joint venture	0	-1,906
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures	-4,618	-2,581
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	-43,034	-3,403
Distributions from unconsolidated joint ventures	3,436	2,214
Write-off of net assets due to early lease terminations	-30	0
Depreciation and amortization of buildings and improvements, tenant improvements and acquired ground leases	111,696	111,142
Amortization of share-based unearned compensation	2,965	8,985
Allowance for doubtful accounts	137	1,580
Amortization of deferred financing costs	2,216	2,085
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	0	292
Amortization of debt discount/premium	484	385
Amortization of acquired in-place lease value and deferred leasing costs	17,379	19,478
Amortization of acquired above-market leases and acquired below-market leases	-2,324	-2,788
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Restricted cash	-399	-1,589
Accounts and other receivables	18,731	2,129
Deferred rent	-13,369	-21,335
Deferred leasing costs	-4,494	-6,798
Other assets	-14,849	-14,227
Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities	-42,482	-26,051
Security deposits and prepaid rents	2,972	2,082
Net cash provided by operating activities	138,922	116,411
Cash flows from investing activities:
Proceeds from sale of properties, net	43,274	0
Proceeds from contribution of investment properties to unconsolidated joint ventures	0	11,408
Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures	-7,547	-10,564
Investment in equity securities	0	-5
Receipt of value added tax refund	14,115	425
Refundable value added tax paid	-12,403	-2,289
Change in restricted cash	-75	-814
Improvements to and advances for investments in real estate	-183,817	-224,118
Improvement advances to tenants	-8,040	-2,499
Collection of advances from tenants for improvements	5,423	912
Net cash used in investing activities	-149,070	-227,544
Cash flows from financing activities:
Borrowings on revolving credit facility	540,142	433,297
Repayments on revolving credit facility	-213,468	-371,351
Repayments on other unsecured loans	-67,000	0
Principal payments on mortgage loans	-2,255	-3,343
Change in restricted cash	51	-68
Payment of loan fees and costs	-68	-150
Capital distributions paid to noncontrolling interests in consolidated joint ventures, net	-99	0
General partner contributions	186	289,795
Payment of dividends/distributions to preferred stockholders/unitholders	-18,455	-11,726
Payment of dividends/distributions to common unit/stockholders and distributions to noncontrolling interests in operating partnership	-232,878	-211,887
Net cash provided by financing activities	6,156	124,567
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	-3,992	13,434
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	41,321	56,808
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	37,329	70,242
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest	63,289	67,824
Cash paid for income taxes	1,185	863
Supplementary disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities:
Change in net assets related to foreign currency translation adjustments	-45,843	3,819
(Decrease) increase in accounts payable and other accrued liabilities related to change in fair value of interest rate swaps	-2,417	-1,343
Accrual for additions to investments in real estate and tenant improvement advances included in accounts payable and accrued expenses	$173,246	$197,376

Organization_And_Description_O

Organization And Description Of Business	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization And Description Of Business	Organization and Description of Business
	Digital Realty Trust, Inc. through its controlling interest in Digital Realty Trust, L.P. (the Operating Partnership) and the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership (collectively, we, our, us or the Company) is engaged in the business of owning, acquiring, developing and managing technology-related real estate. The Company is focused on providing data center and colocation solutions for domestic and international tenants across a variety of industry verticals ranging from financial services, cloud and information technology services, to manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and consumer products. As of March 31, 2015, our portfolio consisted of 130 properties, including two properties held for sale, 14 properties held as investments in unconsolidated joint ventures and developable land, of which 104 are located throughout North America, 21 are located in Europe, three are located in Australia and two are located in Asia. We are diversified in major markets where corporate datacenter and technology tenants are concentrated, including the Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York Metro, Northern Virginia, Phoenix, San Francisco and Silicon Valley metropolitan areas in the United States, Amsterdam, Dublin, London and Paris markets in Europe and Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong and Osaka markets in the Asia Pacific region. The portfolio consists of Internet gateway and corporate datacenter properties, technology manufacturing properties and regional or national offices of technology companies.
	The Operating Partnership was formed on July 21, 2004 in anticipation of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s initial public offering (IPO) on November 3, 2004 and commenced operations on that date. As of March 31, 2015, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. owns a 97.9% common interest and a 100.0% preferred interest in the Operating Partnership. As sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has the full, exclusive and complete responsibility for the Operating Partnership’s day-to-day management and control. The limited partners of the Operating Partnership do not have rights to replace Digital Realty Trust, Inc. as the general partner nor do they have participating rights, although they do have certain protective rights.

Summary_Of_Significant_Account

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	(a) Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements include all of the accounts of Digital Realty Trust, Inc., the Operating Partnership and the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
	The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited, but have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information and in compliance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation have been included. All such adjustments are considered to be of a normal recurring nature, except as otherwise indicated. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be obtained for the full fiscal year. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.
	The notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and the Operating Partnership have been combined to provide the following benefits:
	•	enhancing investors’ understanding of the Company and the Operating Partnership by enabling investors to view the business as a whole in the same manner as management views and operates the business;
	•	eliminating duplicative disclosure and providing a more streamlined and readable presentation since a substantial portion of the disclosure applies to both the Company and the Operating Partnership; and
	•	creating time and cost efficiencies through the preparation of one set of notes instead of two separate sets of notes.
	There are a few differences between the Company and the Operating Partnership, which are reflected in these condensed consolidated financial statements. We believe it is important to understand the differences between the Company and the Operating Partnership in the context of how we operate as an interrelated consolidated company. Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s only material asset is its ownership of partnership interests of the Operating Partnership. As a result, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. does not conduct business itself, other than acting as the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, issuing public equity from time to time and guaranteeing certain unsecured debt of the Operating Partnership and certain of its subsidiaries. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. itself does not hold any indebtedness but guarantees the unsecured debt of the Operating Partnership and certain of its subsidiaries, as disclosed in these notes.
	The Operating Partnership holds substantially all the assets of the Company and holds the ownership interests in the Company’s joint ventures. The Operating Partnership conducts the operations of the business and is structured as a partnership with no publicly traded equity. Except for net proceeds from public equity issuances by Digital Realty Trust, Inc., which are generally contributed to the Operating Partnership in exchange for partnership units, the Operating Partnership generates the capital required by the Company’s business through the Operating Partnership’s operations, by the Operating Partnership’s direct or indirect incurrence of indebtedness or through the issuance of partnership units.
	The presentation of noncontrolling interests in operating partnership, stockholders’ equity and partners’ capital are the main areas of difference between the condensed consolidated financial statements of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and those of the Operating Partnership. The common limited partnership interests held by the limited partners in the Operating Partnership are presented as limited partners’ capital within partners’ capital in the Operating Partnership’s condensed consolidated financial statements and as noncontrolling interests in operating partnership within equity in Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s condensed consolidated financial statements. The common and preferred partnership interests held by Digital Realty Trust, Inc. in the Operating Partnership are presented as general partner’s capital within partners’ capital in the Operating Partnership’s condensed consolidated financial statements and as preferred stock, common stock, additional paid-in capital and accumulated dividends in excess of earnings within stockholders’ equity in Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s condensed consolidated financial statements. The differences in the presentations between stockholders’ equity and partners’ capital result from the differences in the equity issued at the Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and the Operating Partnership levels.
	To help investors understand the significant differences between the Company and the Operating Partnership, these consolidated financial statements present the following separate sections for each of the Company and the Operating Partnership:
	•	condensed consolidated face financial statements; and
	•	the following notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements:
	•	Debt of the Company and Debt of the Operating Partnership;
	•	Income per Share and Income per Unit; and
	•	Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net and Capital and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.
	In the sections that combine disclosure of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and the Operating Partnership, these notes refer to actions or holdings as being actions or holdings of the Company. Although the Operating Partnership is generally the entity that enters into contracts and joint ventures and holds assets and debt, reference to the Company is appropriate because the business is one enterprise and the Company operates the business through the Operating Partnership.
	(b) Cash Equivalents
	For the purpose of the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, we consider short-term investments with original maturities of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. As of March 31, 2015, cash equivalents consist of investments in money market instruments.
	(c) Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures
	The Company’s investment in unconsolidated joint ventures is accounted for using the equity method, whereby the investment is increased for capital contributed and our share of the joint ventures’ net income and decreased by distributions we receive and our share of any losses of the joint ventures.
	We amortize the difference between the cost of our investments in unconsolidated joint ventures and the book value of the underlying equity into equity in earnings from unconsolidated affiliates on a straight-line basis consistent with the lives of the underlying assets.
	(d) Capitalization of Costs
	Direct and indirect project costs that are clearly associated with the development of properties are capitalized as incurred. Project costs include all costs directly associated with the development of a property, including construction costs, interest, property taxes, insurance, legal fees and costs of personnel working on the project. Indirect costs that do not clearly relate to the projects under development are not capitalized and are charged to expense as incurred.
	Capitalization of costs begins when the activities necessary to get the development project ready for its intended use begins, which include costs incurred before the beginning of construction. Capitalization of costs ceases when the development project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Determining when a development project commences, and when it is substantially complete and ready for its intended use involves a degree of judgment. We generally consider a development project to be substantially complete and ready for its intended use upon receipt of a certificate of occupancy. If and when development of a property is suspended pursuant to a formal change in the planned use of the property, we will evaluate whether the accumulated costs exceed the estimated value of the project and write off the amount of any such excess accumulated costs. For a development project that is suspended for reasons other than a formal change in the planned use of such property, the accumulated project costs are evaluated for impairment consistent with our impairment policies for long-lived assets. Capitalized costs are allocated to the specific components of a project that are benefited.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, we capitalized interest of approximately $4.3 million and $5.3 million, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, we capitalized amounts relating to compensation and other overhead expense of employees direct and incremental to construction and successful leasing activities of approximately $12.3 million and $11.4 million, respectively. Capitalized leasing costs of $13.7 million and $9.6 million are included in improvements to and advances for investments in real estate in cash flows from investing activities in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
	(e) Share-Based Compensation
	The Company measures all share-based compensation awards at fair value on the date they are granted to employees and directors, and recognizes compensation cost, net of forfeitures, over the requisite service period for awards with only a service condition. The estimated fair value of the long-term incentive units and Class D Units (discussed in note 13) granted by us is being amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected service period.
	The fair value of share-based compensation awards that contain a market condition is measured using a Monte Carlo simulation method and not adjusted based on actual achievement of the performance goals.
	(f) Income Taxes
	Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. generally is not required to pay federal corporate income tax to the extent taxable income is currently distributed to its stockholders. If Digital Realty Trust, Inc. fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, it will be subject to federal income tax (including any applicable alternative minimum tax) on its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates.
	The Company is subject to foreign, state and local income taxes in the jurisdictions in which it conducts business. The Company’s U.S. consolidated taxable REIT subsidiaries are subject to both federal and state income taxes to the extent there is taxable income. Accordingly, the Company recognizes current and deferred income taxes for its taxable REIT subsidiaries, certain states and non-U.S. jurisdictions, as appropriate.
	We assess our significant tax positions in accordance with U.S. GAAP for all open tax years and determine whether we have any material unrecognized liabilities from uncertain tax benefits. If a tax position is not considered “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained solely on its technical merits, no benefits of the tax position are to be recognized (for financial statement purposes). As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we have no assets or liabilities for uncertain tax positions. We classify interest and penalties from significant uncertain tax positions as interest expense and operating expense, respectively, in our condensed consolidated income statements. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, we had no such interest or penalties. The tax year 2011 and thereafter remain open to examination by the major taxing jurisdictions with which the Company files tax returns.
	See Note 10 for further discussion on income taxes.
	(g) Presentation of Transactional-based Taxes
	We account for transactional-based taxes, such as value added tax, or VAT, for our international properties on a net basis.
	(h) Fee Income
	Occasionally, customers engage the company for certain services. The nature of these services historically involves property management, construction management, and assistance with financing. The proper revenue recognition of these services can be different, depending on whether the arrangements are service revenue or contractor type revenue.
	Service revenues are typically recognized on an equal monthly basis based on the minimum fee to be earned. The monthly amounts could be adjusted depending on if certain performance milestones are met.
	Fee income also includes management fees. These fees arise from contractual agreements with entities in which we have a noncontrolling interest. The management fees are recognized as earned under the respective agreements. Management and other fee income related to partially owned entities are recognized to the extent attributable to the unaffiliated interest.
	(i) Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value
	Fair value under U.S. GAAP is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement. Therefore, our fair value measurements are determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair-value measurements, we use a fair-value hierarchy that distinguishes between market participant assumptions based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity (observable inputs that are classified within Levels 1 and 2 of the hierarchy) and the reporting entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions (unobservable inputs classified within Level 3 of the hierarchy).
	Level 1 inputs utilize quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access. Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs may include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, as well as inputs that are observable for the asset or liability (other than quoted prices), such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability which are typically based on an entity’s own assumptions, as there is little, if any, related market activity. In instances where the determination of the fair-value measurement is based on inputs from different levels of the fair-value hierarchy, the lowest level input that is significant would be used to determine the fair-value measurement in its entirety. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair-value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, and considers factors specific to the asset or liability.
	(j) Transactions Expense
	Transactions expense includes acquisition-related expenses and other business development expenses, which are expensed as incurred. Acquisition-related expenses include closing costs, broker commissions and other professional fees, including legal and accounting fees related to acquisitions and significant transactions.
	(k) Management’s Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates made. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to the valuation of our real estate properties, contingent consideration, accounts receivable and deferred rent receivable, performance-based equity compensation plans, the completeness of accrued liabilities and Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s qualification as a REIT. We base our estimates on historical experience, current market conditions, and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may vary from those estimates and those estimates could vary under different assumptions or conditions.
	(l) Segment and Geographic Information
	All of our properties generate similar revenues and expenses related to tenant rent and reimbursements and operating expenses. The delivery of our products is consistent across all properties and although services are provided to a wide range of customers, the types of real estate services provided to them are standardized throughout the portfolio. As such, the properties in our portfolio have similar economic characteristics and the nature of the products and services provided to our customers and the method to distribute such services are consistent throughout the portfolio. Consequently, our properties qualify for aggregation into one reporting segment.
	Operating revenues from properties in the United States were $314.7 million and $295.2 million and outside the United States were $92.0 million and $95.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. We had long-lived assets located in the United States of $5.5 billion and $5.4 billion and outside the United States of $2.6 billion and $2.7 billion as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.
	Operating revenues from properties located in the United Kingdom were $50.0 million and $54.9 million, or 12.3% and 14.1% of total operating revenues, for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. No other foreign country comprised more than 10% of total operating revenues for each of these periods. We had long-lived assets located in the United Kingdom of $1.7 billion and $1.7 billion, or 20.7% and 21.3% of total long-lived assets, as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. No other foreign country comprised more than 10% of total long-lived assets as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014.
	(m) Reclassifications
	Certain reclassifications of prior year amounts have been made to conform to the current year presentation. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, $0.2 million was reclassified from construction management expense to other expense.
	(n) Recent Accounting Pronouncements
	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an update Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09 establishing ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 establishes a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most of the existing revenue recognition guidance. ASU 2014-09 requires an entity to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services and also requires certain additional disclosures. ASU 2014-09 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years that begin after December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated financial statements.
	In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis, which provides guidance on the consolidation evaluation for reporting organizations that are required to evaluate whether they should consolidate certain legal entities. In accordance with the guidance, all legal entities are subject to reevaluation under the revised consolidation model. The guidance is effective in the first quarter of 2016, and early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of ASU 2015-02 on our consolidated financial statements.
	On April 17, 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires debt issuance costs to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the associated debt liability.  Currently, debt issuance costs are recorded as an asset and amortization of these deferred financing costs is recorded in interest expense.  Under the new standard, debt issuance costs will continued to be amortized over the life of the debt instrument and amortization will continue to be recorded in interest expense.  The new standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2016 and will be applied on a retrospective basis.  The Company is currently evaluating ASU 2015-03, and anticipates a change in our presentation only since the standard does not alter the accounting for debt issuance costs.

Investments_In_Real_Estate

Investments In Real Estate	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Investments In Real Estate	Investments in Real Estate
	We acquired no real estate properties during the three months ended March 31, 2015.
	Dispositions
	We have identified certain non-core investment properties we intend to sell as part of our capital recycling strategy. Our capital recycling program is designed to identify non-strategic and underperforming assets that can be sold to generate proceeds that will support the funding of our core investment activity. We expect our capital recycling initiative will likewise have a meaningfully positive impact on overall return on invested capital. In addition, our capital recycling program does not represent a strategic shift, as we are not entirely exiting regions or property types. During this process, we are evaluating the carrying value of certain investment properties identified for potential sale to ensure the carrying value is recoverable in light of a potentially shorter holding period. As a result of our evaluation, during the year ended December 31, 2014, we recognized approximately $126.5 million of impairment losses on five properties located in the Midwest, Northeast and West regions. The fair value of the five properties were primarily based on discounted cash flow analysis, and in certain cases, we supplemented the analysis by obtaining broker opinions of value. As of March 31, 2015, these properties do not yet meet the criteria to be classified as held for sale.
	As of December 31, 2014, the Company had taken the necessary actions to conclude that five properties (separate from those referenced above) to be disposed of as part of our capital recycling strategy met the criteria to be classified as held for sale. As of December 31, 2014, these five properties had an aggregate carrying value of $120.5 million within total assets and $5.8 million within total liabilities and are shown as assets held for sale and obligations associated with assets held for sale on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. The five properties are not representative of a significant component of our portfolio, nor does the potential sales represent a significant shift in our strategy. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, two of the properties were sold, with aggregate gross sales proceeds of approximately $45.3 million and we recognized a gain of approximately $17.8 million. As of March 31, 2015, two of the remaining three properties still met the criteria to be classified as held for sale. As of March 31, 2015, these two properties had an aggregate carrying value of $81.7 million within total assets and $3.2 million within total liabilities and are shown as assets held for sale and obligations associated with assets held for sale on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Company reclassified one property that was held for sale as of December 31, 2014 back to held for use, and recorded catch-up depreciation expense of approximately $0.3 million associated with this property.
	Subsequent to March 31, 2015, the Company has taken the necessary actions to conclude that one additional property to be disposed of met the criteria under authoritative accounting guidance to be classified as held for sale.  As these criteria had not been met as of March 31, 2015, the property is classified as held for use in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.  As of March 31, 2015, the property had an aggregate carrying value of $15.6 million within total assets and $0.3 million within total liabilities.

Investment_In_Unconsolidated_J

Investment In Unconsolidated Joint Ventures	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Investment In Unconsolidated Joint Ventures	Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures
	As of March 31, 2015, our investment in unconsolidated joint ventures consists of effective 50% interests in three joint ventures that own data center properties at 2001 Sixth Avenue in Seattle, Washington, 2020 Fifth Avenue in Seattle, Washington and 33 Chun Choi Street in Hong Kong, and 20% interests in two joint ventures, one of which owns 10 data center properties with an investment fund managed by Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI®) and the other which owns one data center property with an affiliate of Griffin Capital Essential Asset REIT, Inc. (GCEAR). The following tables present summarized financial information for the joint ventures as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 (unaudited, in thousands):
		As of March 31, 2015										Three Months Ended March 31, 2015
	2015	Net Investment		Total Assets		Debt		Total		Equity		Revenues		Property			Net		Net Income
		in Properties						Liabilities						Operating			Operating
														Expense			Income
	Total Unconsolidated Joint Ventures	$	773,457	$	949,576	$	461,153	$	566,483	$	383,093	$	31,850	$	(8,175	)	$	23,675	$	10,026
	Our investment in and share of equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures									$	103,475								$	4,618
		As of December 31, 2014										Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
	2014	Net Investment		Total Assets		Debt		Total		Equity		Revenues		Property			Net		Net Income
		in Properties						Liabilities						Operating			Operating
														Expense			Income
	Total Unconsolidated Joint Ventures	$	779,752	$	942,107	$	461,548	$	569,895	$	372,212	$	21,919	$	(5,009	)	$	16,910	$	5,894
	Our investment in and share of equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures									$	94,729								$	2,581
	Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI ®) Joint Venture
	On March 5, 2014, we contributed the 636 Pierce Street property, which we acquired in December 2013, to our unconsolidated joint venture with the PREI® fund that was formed in September 2013. The property was valued at approximately $40.4 million and subject to $26.1 million in debt, which the joint venture assumed. The PREI® fund contributed approximately $11.4 million in cash for their 80% share of the net asset value of $14.3 million. Subsequent to the closing, the joint venture refinanced the existing debt with $23.0 million drawn from the joint venture’s bank facility. Including the refinance costs, the PREI® fund contributed $17.5 million for the 636 Pierce Street property, bringing their contributed capital in the joint venture to $164.8 million.
	The transaction produced a $1.9 million gain for the Company representing the difference between the $11.4 million of cash proceeds received by the Company for its 80% share of the net asset less the Company’s book value.
	Griffin Capital Essential Asset REIT, Inc. (GCEAR) Joint Venture
	On September 9, 2014, we formed a joint venture with an affiliate of Griffin Capital Essential Asset REIT, Inc. (GCEAR). We contributed to the joint venture the property located at 43915 Devin Shafron Drive (Building A) in Ashburn, Virginia, which is a Turn-Key Flex® data center property valued at approximately $185.5 million (excluding approximately $2.1 million of closing costs). GCEAR contributed cash to the joint venture and will hold an 80% interest in the joint venture. We retained a 20% interest in the joint venture. The joint venture agreement provides for a current annual preferred return from cash flow first to GCEAR and then to us, after which a portion of any excess cash flows is shared by the partners based on their respective interests and the remaining portion is paid to us as a promote interest. We will perform the day-to-day accounting and property management functions for the joint venture and the property and, as such, will earn management fees. Although we are the managing member of the joint venture and manage the day-to-day activities, certain major decisions, including approval of annual budgets, require approval of the GCEAR member. Thus, we concluded we do not own a controlling interest and will account for our interest in the joint venture as an equity method investment.
	The joint venture arranged a $102.0 million five-year secured bank loan at LIBOR plus 225 basis points, representing a loan-to-value ratio of approximately 55%. The joint venture entered into an interest rate swap agreement to effectively fix the interest rate on approximately $51.0 million of borrowings under the loan through September 2019.  Two one-year extensions of the maturity date are available under the loan agreement, which the joint venture may exercise if certain conditions are met. Proceeds from this loan offset the initial cash capital contribution amount required from GCEAR and was used to provide us with a special distribution on account of a portion of the contribution value of the property. The transaction generated approximately $167.5 million of net proceeds to us, comprised of our share of the initial draw-down on the bank loan in addition to GCEAR’s equity contribution, less our share of closing costs. Accordingly we recognized a gain of approximately $93.5 million on the sale of the 80% interest in the joint venture during the three months ended September 30, 2014.
	Differences between the Company’s investment in the joint ventures and the amount of the underlying equity in net assets of the joint ventures are due to basis differences resulting from the Company’s equity investment recorded at its historical basis versus the fair value of the Company’s contributed interest in the joint ventures. Our proportionate share of the earnings or losses related to these unconsolidated joint ventures is reflected as equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures on the accompanying consolidated income statements.

Acquired_Intangible_Assets_And

Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities [Abstract]
Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities	Acquired Intangible Assets and Liabilities
	The following summarizes our acquired intangible assets (acquired in-place lease value and acquired above-market lease value) and intangible liabilities (acquired below-market lease value) as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014.
		Balance as of
	(Amounts in thousands)	31-Mar-15			31-Dec-14
	Acquired in-place lease value:
	Gross amount	$	674,243		$	680,419
	Accumulated amortization	(463,049		)	(452,739		)
	Net	$	211,194		$	227,680
	Acquired above-market leases:
	Gross amount	$	122,301		$	126,677
	Accumulated amortization	(87,544		)	(88,072		)
	Net	$	34,757		$	38,605
	Acquired below-market leases:
	Gross amount	$	278,360		$	282,670
	Accumulated amortization	(181,126		)	(178,435		)
	Net	$	97,234		$	104,235
	Amortization of acquired below-market leases, net of acquired above-market leases, resulted in an increase to rental revenues of $2.3 million and $2.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The expected average remaining lives for acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases is 6.0 years and 3.7 years, respectively, as of March 31, 2015. Estimated annual amortization of acquired below-market leases, net of acquired above-market leases, for each of the five succeeding years and thereafter, commencing April 1, 2015 is as follows:
	(Amounts in thousands)
	Remainder of 2015	$	6,693
	2016	7,579
	2017	6,182
	2018	4,574
	2019	4,632
	Thereafter	32,817
	Total	$	62,477
	Amortization of acquired in-place lease value (a component of depreciation and amortization expense) was $11.6 million and $15.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The expected average amortization period for acquired in-place lease value is 5.9 years as of March 31, 2015. The weighted average remaining contractual life for acquired leases excluding renewals or extensions is 4.6 years as of March 31, 2015. Estimated annual amortization of acquired in-place lease value for each of the five succeeding years and thereafter, commencing April 1, 2015 is as follows:
	(Amounts in thousands)
	Remainder of 2015	$	28,812
	2016	31,822
	2017	27,223
	2018	24,904
	2019	22,416
	Thereafter	76,017
	Total	$	211,194

Debt_of_the_Company

Debt of the Company	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt of the Company	Debt of the Company
	In this Note 6, the “Company” refers only to Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and not to any of its subsidiaries.
	The Company itself does not have any indebtedness. All debt is held directly or indirectly by the Operating Partnership.
	Guarantee of Debt
	The Company guarantees the Operating Partnership’s obligations with respect to its 4.500% notes due 2015 (2015 Notes), 5.875% notes due 2020 (2020 Notes), 5.250% notes due 2021 (2021 Notes), 3.625% notes due 2022 (2022 Notes) and its unsecured senior notes sold to Prudential Investment Management, Inc. and certain of its affiliates pursuant to the Amended and Restated Note Purchase and Private Shelf Agreement, as amended, which we refer to as the Prudential Shelf Facility. The Company and the Operating Partnership guarantee the obligations of Digital Stout Holding, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Operating Partnership, with respect to its 4.750% notes due 2023 (2023 Notes) and 4.250% notes due 2025 (2025 Notes). The Company is also the guarantor of the Operating Partnership’s and its subsidiary borrowers’ obligations under the global revolving credit facility and unsecured term loan.

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Digital Realty Trust, L.P.)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Debt Of The Operating Partnership	Debt of the Operating Partnership
	A summary of outstanding indebtedness of the Operating Partnership as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 is as follows (in thousands):
	Indebtedness	Interest Rate at March 31, 2015		Maturity Date		Principal Outstanding March 31, 2015				Principal Outstanding December 31, 2014
	Global revolving credit facility	Various	-1	Nov 3, 2017		$	826,906		-2	$	525,951		-2
	Unsecured term loan	Various	(3)(6)	Apr 16, 2017		942,006			-4	976,600			-4
	Unsecured senior notes:
	Prudential Shelf Facility:
	Series C	9.68%		Jan 6, 2016		25,000				25,000
	Series D	4.57%		Jan 20, 2015		—			-9	50,000
	Series E	5.73%		Jan 20, 2017		50,000				50,000
	Series F	4.50%		Feb 3, 2015		—			-9	17,000
	Total Prudential Shelf Facility					75,000				142,000
	Senior Notes:
	4.50% notes due 2015	4.50%		Jul 15, 2015	-8	375,000				375,000
	5.875% notes due 2020	5.88%		Feb 1, 2020		500,000				500,000
	5.25% notes due 2021	5.25%		Mar 15, 2021		400,000				400,000
	3.625% notes due 2022	3.62%		Oct 1, 2022		300,000				300,000
	4.75% notes due 2023	4.75%		Oct 13, 2023		444,540			-7	467,310			-7
	4.25% notes due 2025	4.25%		Jan 17, 2025		592,720			-7	623,080			-7
	Unamortized discounts					(14,788		)		(15,632		)
	Total senior notes, net of discount					2,597,472				2,649,758
	Total unsecured senior notes, net of discount					2,672,472				2,791,758
	Indebtedness	Interest Rate at March 31, 2015		Maturity Date		Principal Outstanding March 31, 2015				Principal Outstanding December 31, 2014
	Mortgage loans:
	200 Paul Avenue 1-4 (5)	5.74%		Oct 8, 2015		68,121				68,665
	2045 & 2055 Lafayette Street (5)	5.93%		Feb 6, 2017		62,275				62,563
	34551 Ardenwood Boulevard 1-4 (5)	5.95%		Nov 11, 2016		51,118				51,339
	1100 Space Park Drive (5)	5.89%		Dec 11, 2016		51,071				51,295
	600 West Seventh Street	5.80%		Mar 15, 2016		47,379				47,825
	150 South First Street (5)	6.30%		Feb 6, 2017		49,103				49,316
	2334 Lundy Place (5)	5.96%		Nov 11, 2016		37,179				37,340
	8025 North Interstate 35	4.09%		Mar 6, 2016		5,991				6,057
	731 East Trade Street	8.22%		Jul 1, 2020		3,744				3,836
	Unamortized net premiums					546				582
	Total mortgage loans, net of premiums					376,527				378,818
	Total indebtedness					$	4,817,911			$	4,673,127
	_________________________________
	-1	The interest rate for borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equals the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the current credit ratings of our long-term debt. An annual facility fee of 20 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt, is due and payable quarterly on the total commitment amount of the facility. Two six-month extensions are available, which we may exercise if certain conditions are met.
	-2	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):
	Denomination of Draw	Balance as of March 31, 2015				Weighted-average			Balance as of December 31, 2014				Weighted-average
						interest rate							interest rate
	Floating Rate Borrowing (a)
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	317,000			1.28	%		$	90,000			1.27	%
	British pound sterling (£)	125,360			(c)	1.62	%		132,716				1.61	%
	Euro (€)	140,791			(c)	1.05	%		58,071			(d)	1.13	%
	Australian dollar (AUD)	70,061			(c)	3.35	%		72,676			(d)	3.74	%
	Hong Kong dollar (HKD)	87,417			(c)	1.34	%		79,336			(d)	1.34	%
	Japanese yen (JPY)	13,235			(c)	1.17	%		13,201			(d)	1.17	%
	Singapore dollar (SGD)	4,153			(c)	1.86	%		6,565			(d)	1.64	%
	Canadian dollar (CAD)	61,889			(c)	2.1	%		62,386			(d)	2.39	%
	Total	$	819,906			1.54	%		$	514,951			1.84	%
	Base Rate Borrowing (b)
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	7,000			3.35	%		$	11,000			3.35	%
	Total borrowings	$	826,906			1.55	%		$	525,951			1.87	%
	(a)	The interest rates for floating rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
	(b)	The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
	(c)	Based on exchange rates of $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00, $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.73 to 1.00 SGD and $0.79 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
	(d)	Based on exchange rates of $1.21 to €1.00, $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.75 to 1.00 SGD and $0.86 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
	-3	Interest rates are based on our current senior unsecured debt ratings and are 120 basis points over the applicable index for floating rate advances. Two six-month extensions are available, which we may exercise if certain conditions are met.
	-4	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):
	Denomination of Draw	Balance as of March 31, 2015				Weighted-average			Balance as of December 31, 2014				Weighted-average
						interest rate							interest rate
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	410,905			1.38	%	(b)	$	410,905			1.36	%	(d)
	Singapore dollar (SGD)	166,485			(a)	1.75	%	(b)	172,426			(c)	1.45	%	(d)
British pound sterling (£)	179,187			(a)	1.76	%		188,365			(c)	1.76	%
Euro (€)	106,773			(a)	1.19	%		120,375			(c)	1.22	%
Australian dollar (AUD)	78,656			(a)	3.5	%		84,529			(c)	3.98	%
Total	$	942,006			1.67	%	(b)	$	976,600			1.66	%	(d)
(a)	Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
(b)	As of March 31, 2015, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.10% (Singapore dollar) and 1.97% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
(c)	Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
(d)	As of December 31, 2014, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.01% (Singapore dollar) and 2.00% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
-5	The respective borrower’s assets and credit are not available to satisfy the debts and other obligations of affiliates or any other person.
-6	We have entered into interest rate swap agreements as a cash flow hedge for interest generated by the U.S. dollar and Singapore dollar tranches of the unsecured term loan. See note 14 for further information.
-7	Based on exchange rate of $1.48 to £1.00 as of March 31, 2015 and $1.56 to £1.00 as of December 31, 2014.
-8	On April 24, 2015, the operating partnership gave notice of its intention to redeem all of its outstanding 2015 Notes, pursuant to its option under the Indenture governing the 2015 Notes, dated July 8, 2010. The redemption date is May 26, 2015 and the redemption price is 100% of the principal amount of the 2015 Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon up to, but excluding, the redemption date.
-9	These unsecured senior notes were repaid in full at maturity.
Global Revolving Credit Facility
On August 15, 2013, the Operating Partnership refinanced its global revolving credit facility, increasing its total borrowing capacity to $2.0 billion from $1.8 billion. The global revolving credit facility has an accordion feature that would enable us to increase the borrowing capacity of the credit facility to $2.55 billion, subject to the receipt of lender commitments and other conditions precedent. The refinanced facility matures on November 3, 2017, with two six-month extension options available. The interest rate for borrowings under the expanded facility equals the applicable index plus a margin which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt and is currently 110 basis points. An annual facility fee on the total commitment amount of the facility, based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt, currently 20 basis points, is payable quarterly. Funds may be drawn in U.S., Canadian, Singapore, Australian and Hong Kong dollars, as well as Euro, British pound sterling, Swiss franc, Japanese yen and Mexican peso denominations. As of March 31, 2015, interest rates are based on 1-month LIBOR, 1-month EURIBOR, 1-month BBR, 1-month HIBOR, 1-month JPY LIBOR and 1-month CDOR plus a margin of 1.10%. The facility also bore a base borrowing rate of 3.35% (USD) which is based on U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 0.10%. We have used and intend to use available borrowings under the global revolving credit facility to acquire additional properties, to fund development opportunities and for general working capital and other corporate purposes, including potentially for the repurchase, redemption or retirement of outstanding debt or equity securities. As of March 31, 2015, we have capitalized approximately $18.0 million of financing costs related to the global revolving credit facility. As of March 31, 2015, approximately $826.9 million was drawn under the global revolving credit facility and $8.1 million of letters of credit were issued.
The global revolving credit facility contains various restrictive covenants, including limitations on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, make certain investments or merge with another company, and requirements to maintain financial coverage ratios, including with respect to unencumbered assets. In addition, the global revolving credit facility restricts Digital Realty Trust, Inc. from making distributions to its stockholders, or redeeming or otherwise repurchasing shares of its capital stock, after the occurrence and during the continuance of an event of default, except in limited circumstances including as necessary to enable Digital Realty Trust, Inc. to maintain its qualification as a REIT and to minimize the payment of income or excise tax. As of March 31, 2015, we were in compliance with all of such covenants.
Unsecured Term Loan
On August 15, 2013, we refinanced the senior unsecured multi-currency term loan facility, increasing its total borrowing capacity to $1.0 billion from $750.0 million. Pursuant to the accordion feature, total commitments can be increased to $1.1 billion, subject to the receipt of lender commitments and other conditions precedent. The facility matures on April 16, 2017, with two six-month extension options available. Interest rates are based on our senior unsecured debt ratings and are currently 120 basis points over the applicable index for floating rate advances. Funds may be drawn in U.S., Singapore and Australian dollars, as well as Euro and British pound sterling denominations with the option to add Hong Kong dollars and Japanese yen upon an accordion exercise. Based on exchange rates in effect at March 31, 2015, the balance outstanding is approximately $942.0 million. We have used borrowings under the term loan for acquisitions, repayment of indebtedness, development, working capital and general corporate purposes. The covenants under this loan are consistent with our global revolving credit facility and, as of March 31, 2015, we were in compliance with all of such covenants. As of March 31, 2015, we have capitalized approximately $8.4 million of financing costs related to the unsecured term loan.
The table below summarizes our debt maturities and principal payments as of March 31, 2015 (in thousands):
	Global Revolving				Unsecured				Prudential				Senior Notes			Mortgage		Total
	Credit Facility(1)				Term Loan (1)				Shelf Facility							Loans		Debt
Remainder of 2015	$	—			$	—			$	—			$	375,000		$	73,237	$	448,237
2016	—				—				25,000				—			191,979		216,979
2017	826,906				942,006				50,000				—			108,395		1,927,307
2018	—				—				—				—			593		593
2019	—				—				—				—			644		644
Thereafter	—				—				—				2,237,260			1,133		2,238,393
Subtotal	$	826,906			$	942,006			$	75,000			$	2,612,260		$	375,981	$	4,832,153
Unamortized discount	—				—				—				(14,788		)	—		(14,788		)
Unamortized premium	—				—				—				—			546		546
Total	$	826,906			$	942,006			$	75,000			$	2,597,472		$	376,527	$	4,817,911
-1	Subject to two six-month extension options exercisable by us. The bank group is obligated to grant the extension options provided we give proper notice, we make certain representations and warranties and no default exists under the global revolving credit facility and the unsecured term loan, as applicable.

Income_per_Share

Income per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Income per Share	Income per Share
	The following is a summary of basic and diluted income per share (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015			2014
	Net income available to common stockholders	$	101,728		$	34,186
	Weighted average shares outstanding—basic	135,704,525			128,535,995
	Potentially dilutive common shares:
	Stock options	33,839			51,909
	Unvested incentive units	147,874			160,717
	Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	—			388,340
	2014 market performance-based awards	242,562			—
	Weighted average shares outstanding—diluted	136,128,800			129,136,961
	Income per share:
	Basic	$	0.75		$	0.27
	Diluted	$	0.75		$	0.26
	We have excluded the following potentially dilutive securities in the calculations above as they would be antidilutive or not dilutive:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015		2014
	Weighted average of Operating Partnership common units not owned by Digital Realty Trust, Inc.	2,702,468		2,606,669
	Potentially dilutive 2029 Debentures	—		6,806,254
	Potentially dilutive Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	4,392,889		5,674,269
	Potentially dilutive Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	2,785,960		3,598,608
	Potentially dilutive Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	3,809,345		4,920,508
	Potentially dilutive Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	5,582,197		—
		19,272,859		23,606,308

Income_per_Unit

Income per Unit (Digital Realty Trust, L.P.)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Earnings Per Share, Basic, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Income per Unit	Income per Unit
	The following is a summary of basic and diluted income per unit (in thousands, except unit and per unit amounts):
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015			2014
	Net income available to common unitholders	$	103,754		$	34,879
	Weighted average units outstanding—basic	138,406,993			131,142,664
	Potentially dilutive common units:
	Stock options	33,839			51,909
	Unvested incentive units	147,874			160,717
	Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	—			388,340
	2014 market performance-based awards	242,562			—
	Weighted average units outstanding—diluted	138,831,268			131,743,630
	Income per unit:
	Basic	$	0.75		$	0.27
	Diluted	$	0.75		$	0.26
	We have excluded the following potentially dilutive securities in the calculations above as they would be antidilutive or not dilutive:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015		2014
	Potentially dilutive 2029 Debentures	—		6,806,254
	Potentially dilutive Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	4,392,889		5,674,269
	Potentially dilutive Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	2,785,960		3,598,608
	Potentially dilutive Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	3,809,345		4,920,508
	Potentially dilutive Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	5,582,197		—
		16,570,391		20,999,639

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes
	Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has elected to be treated and believes that it has been organized and has operated in a manner that has enabled it to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. is generally not subject to corporate level federal income taxes on earnings distributed currently to its stockholders. Since inception, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has distributed at least 100% of its taxable income annually and intends to do so for the tax year ending December 31, 2015. As such, no provision for federal income taxes has been included in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.
	The Operating Partnership is a partnership and is not required to pay federal income tax. Instead, taxable income is allocated to its partners, who include such amounts on their federal income tax returns. As such, no provision for federal income taxes has been included in the Operating Partnership’s accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.
	We have elected taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) status for some of our consolidated subsidiaries. In general, a TRS may provide services that would otherwise be considered impermissible for REITs to provide and may hold assets that REITs cannot hold directly. Income taxes for TRS entities were accrued, as necessary, for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.
	For our TRS entities and foreign subsidiaries that are subject to U.S. federal, state and foreign income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities are established for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of assets and liabilities at the enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when the temporary differences reverse. A valuation allowance for deferred tax assets is provided if we believe it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset may not be realized, based on available evidence at the time the determination is made. An increase or decrease in the valuation allowance that results from the change in circumstances that causes a change in our judgment about the realizability of the related deferred tax asset is included in the income statement. Deferred tax assets (net of valuation allowance) and liabilities for our TRS entities and foreign subsidiaries were accrued, as necessary, for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. As of March 31, 2015, we had deferred tax liabilities, net of deferred tax assets, of approximately $130.8 million primarily related to our foreign properties. The majority of our net deferred tax liability relates to differences between tax basis and book basis of the assets acquired in the Sentrum Portfolio acquisition during 2012.

Equity_And_Accumulated_Other_C

Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net [Abstract]
Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net	Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net
	(a) Equity Distribution Agreements
	Digital Realty Trust, Inc. entered into equity distribution agreements in June 2011, which we refer to as the 2011 Equity Distribution Agreements, with each of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, or the Agents, under which it can issue and sell shares of its common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $400.0 million from time to time through, at its discretion, any of the Agents as its sales agents. The sales of common stock made under the 2011 Equity Distribution Agreements will be made in “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act. Cumulatively through March 31, 2015, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has generated net proceeds of approximately $342.7 million from the issuance of approximately 5.7 million common shares under the 2011 Equity Distribution Agreements at an average price of $60.35 per share after payment of approximately $3.5 million of commissions to the sales agents and before offering expenses. No sales were made under the program during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. As of March 31, 2015, shares of common stock having an aggregate offering price of $53.8 million remained available for offer and sale under the program.
	(b) Noncontrolling Interests in Operating Partnership
	Noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership relate to the interests that are not owned by Digital Realty Trust, Inc. The following table shows the ownership interests in the Operating Partnership as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:
		31-Mar-15						31-Dec-14
		Number of units			Percentage of total			Number of units			Percentage of total
	Digital Realty Trust, Inc.	135,793,668			97.9	%		135,626,255			97.8	%
	Noncontrolling interests consist of:
	Common units held by third parties	1,425,314			1			1,463,814			1.1
	Incentive units held by employees and directors (see note 13)	1,499,397			1.1			1,549,847			1.1
		138,718,379			100	%		138,639,916			100	%
	Limited partners have the right to require the Operating Partnership to redeem part or all of their common units for cash based on the fair market value of an equivalent number of shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock at the time of redemption. Alternatively, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. may elect to acquire those common units in exchange for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock dividends, issuance of stock rights, specified extraordinary distributions and similar events. Pursuant to authoritative accounting guidance, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. evaluated whether it controls the actions or events necessary to issue the maximum number of shares that could be required to be delivered under the share settlement of the noncontrolling Operating Partnership common and incentive units. Based on the results of this analysis, we concluded that the common and incentive Operating Partnership units met the criteria to be classified within equity.
	The redemption value of the noncontrolling Operating Partnership common units and the vested incentive units was approximately $182.3 million and $179.0 million based on the closing market price of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock on March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.
	The following table shows activity for the noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership for the three months ended March 31, 2015:
		Common Units			Incentive Units			Total
	As of December 31, 2014	1,463,814			1,549,847			3,013,661
	Redemption of common units for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock (1)	(38,500	)		—			(38,500	)
	Conversion of incentive units held by employees and directors for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock (1)	—			(40,774	)		(40,774	)
	Cancellation of incentive units held by employees and directors	—			(11,549	)		(11,549	)
	Grant of incentive units to employees and directors	—			1,873			1,873
	As of March 31, 2015	1,425,314			1,499,397			2,924,711
	-1	This redemption was recorded as a reduction to noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership and an increase to common stock and additional paid in capital based on the book value per unit in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
	(c) Dividends
	We have declared and paid the following dividends on our common and preferred stock for the three months ended March 31, 2015 (in thousands, except per share data):
	Date dividend declared	Dividend		Series E				Series F				Series G		Series H		Common
		payment date		Preferred				Preferred				Preferred		Preferred		Stock
				Stock				Stock				Stock		Stock
	February 25, 2015	March 31, 2015		$	5,031			$	3,023			$	3,672	$	6,730	$	115,419
	Annual rate of dividend per share			$	1.75			$	1.656			$	1.469	$	1.844	$	3.4
	Distributions out of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s current or accumulated earnings and profits are generally classified as dividends whereas distributions in excess of its current and accumulated earnings and profits, to the extent of a stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax basis in Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s stock, are generally classified as a return of capital. Distributions in excess of a stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax basis in Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s stock are generally characterized as capital gain. Cash provided by operating activities has generally been sufficient to fund all distributions; however, in the future we may also need to utilize borrowings under the global revolving credit facility to fund all or a portion of distributions.
	(d) Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net
	The accumulated balances for each item within other comprehensive income, net are as follows (in thousands):
		Foreign currency				Cash flow hedge				Accumulated other
		translation				adjustments				comprehensive loss, net
		adjustments
	Balance as of December 31, 2014	$	(39,567	)		$	(5,479	)		$	(45,046	)
	Net current period change	(44,948		)	(1)	(2,370		)		(47,318		)
	Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	—				802				802
	Balance as of March 31, 2015	$	(84,515	)		$	(7,047	)		$	(91,562	)
	(1) During the first three months of 2015, the U.S. dollar was generally stronger against the other currencies in which we transact business, primarily the Euro and British pound sterling.

Capital_And_Accumulated_Other_

Capital And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Partners' Capital Notes [Abstract]
Capital And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Capital and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
	(a) Allocations of Net Income and Net Losses to Partners
	Except for special allocations to holders of profits interest units described below in note 13(a) under the heading “Incentive Plan-Long-Term Incentive Units,” the Operating Partnership’s net income will generally be allocated to the General Partner to the extent of the accrued preferred return on its preferred units, and then to the General Partner and the Operating Partnership’s limited partners in accordance with the respective percentage interests in the common units issued by the Operating Partnership. Net loss will generally be allocated to the General Partner and the Operating Partnership’s limited partners in accordance with the respective common percentage interests in the Operating Partnership until the limited partner’s capital is reduced to zero and any remaining net loss would be allocated to the General Partner. However, in some cases, losses may be disproportionately allocated to partners who have guaranteed our debt. The allocations described above are subject to special allocations relating to depreciation deductions and to compliance with the provisions of Sections 704(b) and 704(c) of the Code, and the associated Treasury Regulations.
	(b) Partnership Units
	Limited partners have the right to require the Operating Partnership to redeem part or all of their common units for cash based on the fair market value of an equivalent number of shares of the General Partner’s common stock at the time of redemption. Alternatively, the General Partner may elect to acquire those common units in exchange for shares of the General Partner’s common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock dividends, issuance of stock rights, specified extraordinary distributions and similar events. Pursuant to authoritative accounting guidance, the Operating Partnership evaluated whether it controls the actions or events necessary to issue the maximum number of shares that could be required to be delivered under the share settlement of the limited partners’ common units and the vested incentive units. Based on the results of this analysis, the Operating Partnership concluded that the common and vested incentive Operating Partnership units met the criteria to be classified within capital.
	The redemption value of the limited partners’ common units and the vested incentive units was approximately $182.3 million and $179.0 million based on the closing market price of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s common stock on March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.
	(c) Distributions
	All distributions on the Operating Partnership’s units are at the discretion of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s board of directors. The Operating Partnership has declared and paid the following distributions on its common and preferred units for the three months ended March 31, 2015 (in thousands, except for per unit data):
	Date distribution declared	Distribution		Series E				Series F				Series G		Series H		Common
		payment date		Preferred				Preferred				Preferred		Preferred		Units
				Units				Units				Units		Units
	February 25, 2015	March 31, 2015		$	5,031			$	3,023			$	3,672	$	6,730	$	117,896
	Annual rate of distribution per unit			$	1.75			$	1.656			$	1.469	$	1.844	$	3.4
	(d) Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
	The accumulated balances for each item within other comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):
		Foreign currency				Cash flow hedge				Accumulated other
		translation				adjustments				comprehensive loss
		adjustments
	Balance as of December 31, 2014	$	(42,138	)		$	(6,295	)		$	(48,433	)
	Net current period change	(45,843		)	(1)	(2,417		)		(48,260		)
	Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	—				818				818
	Balance as of March 31, 2015	$	(87,981	)		$	(7,894	)		$	(95,875	)
	(1) During the first three months of 2015, the U.S. dollar was generally stronger against the other currencies in which we transact business, primarily the Euro and British pound sterling.

Incentive_Plan

Incentive Plan	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Incentive Plan	Incentive Plan
	Our Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan (as defined below) previously provided for the grant of incentive awards to employees, directors and consultants. Awards issuable under the Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan included stock options, restricted stock, dividend equivalents, stock appreciation rights, long-term incentive units, cash performance bonuses and other incentive awards. Only employees were eligible to receive incentive stock options under the Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan. Initially, we had reserved a total of 4,474,102 shares of common stock for issuance pursuant to the Digital Realty Trust, Inc., Digital Services, Inc. and Digital Realty Trust, L.P. 2004 Incentive Award Plan (the 2004 Incentive Award Plan), subject to certain adjustments set forth in the 2004 Incentive Award Plan. On May 2, 2007, Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s stockholders approved the First Amended and Restated Digital Realty Trust, Inc., Digital Services, Inc. and Digital Realty Trust, L.P. 2004 Incentive Award Plan (as amended, the Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan). The Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan increased the aggregate number of shares of stock which could have been issued or transferred under the plan by 5,000,000 shares to a total of 9,474,102 shares, and provided that the maximum number of shares of stock with respect to awards granted to any one participant during a calendar year was 1,500,000 shares and the maximum amount that could have been paid in cash during any calendar year with respect to any performance-based award not denominated in stock or otherwise for which the foregoing limitation would not be an effective limitation for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code was $10.0 million.
	On April 28, 2014, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. held its 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, or the 2014 Annual Meeting, at which the Company’s stockholders approved the Digital Realty Trust, Inc., Digital Services, Inc., and Digital Realty Trust, L.P. 2014 Incentive Award Plan (as amended, the 2014 Incentive Award Plan), which had been previously adopted by the Board of Directors and recommended to the stockholders for approval by the Company’s Board of Directors. The 2014 Incentive Award Plan became effective and replaced the Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan as of the date of such stockholder approval. The material features of the 2014 Incentive Award Plan are described in our definitive Proxy Statement filed on March 19, 2014 in connection with the 2014 Annual Meeting, which description is incorporated herein by reference.
	As of March 31, 2015, 4,853,662 shares of common stock or awards convertible into or exchangeable for common stock remained available for future issuance under the 2014 Incentive Award Plan. Each long-term incentive unit and Class D Unit issued under the 2014 Incentive Award Plan counts as one share of common stock for purposes of calculating the limit on shares that may be issued under the 2014 Incentive Award Plan and the individual award limits set forth therein.
	(a) Long-Term Incentive Units
	Long-term incentive units, which are also referred to as profits interest units, may be issued to eligible participants for the performance of services to or for the benefit of the Operating Partnership. Long-term incentive units (other than Class D Units), whether vested or not, will receive the same quarterly per unit distributions as Operating Partnership common units, which equal per share distributions on Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock. Initially, long-term incentive units do not have full parity with common units with respect to liquidating distributions. If such parity is reached, vested long-term incentive units may be converted into an equal number of common units of the Operating Partnership at any time, and thereafter enjoy all the rights of common units of the Operating Partnership, including redemption rights. For a discussion of how long-term incentive units reach parity with common units, see note 13(a) to our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, included in our Annual Report on 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.
	Below is a summary of our long-term incentive unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2015.
	Unvested Long-term Incentive Units	Units			Weighted-Average
					Grant Date Fair
					Value
	Unvested, beginning of period	314,415			$	59.34
	Granted	1,873			66.75
	Vested	(143,775	)		59.83
	Cancelled or expired	(11,549	)		57.37
	Unvested, end of period	160,964			59.13
	The grant date fair values, which equal the market price of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock on the grant date, are being expensed on a straight-line basis for service awards over four years, the current vesting period of the long-term incentive units. We expense the fair value of awards that contain a performance condition using an accelerated method with each vesting tranche valued as a separate award.
	The expense recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 related to long-term incentive units was approximately $1.3 million and $7.8 million, respectively. We capitalized amounts relating to compensation expense of employees direct and incremental to construction and successful leasing activities of approximately $0.9 million and $0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Unearned compensation representing the unvested portion of the long-term incentive units totaled $6.6 million and $9.3 million as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. We expect to recognize this unearned compensation over the next 1.8 years on a weighted-average basis.
	(b) Market Performance-Based Awards
	During the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company approved the grant of market performance-based Class D Units of the Operating Partnership and market performance-based restricted stock units, or RSUs, covering shares of the Company’s common stock (collectively, the “awards”), under the Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan and 2014 Incentive Plan, respectively, to officers and employees of the Company.
	The awards, which were determined to contain a market condition, utilize total shareholder return, or TSR, over a three-year measurement period as the market performance metric. Awards will vest based on the Company’s TSR relative to the MSCI US REIT Index, or RMS, over a three-year market performance period, or the Market Performance Period, commencing in January 2014 and 2015 (or, if earlier, ending on the date on which a change in control of the Company occurs), subject to continued services. Vesting with respect to the market condition is measured based on the difference between the Company’s TSR percentage and the TSR percentage of the RMS, or the RMS Relative Market Performance. In the event that the RMS Relative Market Performance during the Market Performance Period is achieved at the “threshold,” “target” or “high” level as set forth below, the awards will become vested as to the market condition with respect to the percentage of Class D units or RSUs, as applicable, set forth below:
	Level	RMS Relative	RMS Relative	Market
		Market Performance (2014 Grant)	Market Performance (2015 Grant)	Performance
				Vesting
				Percentage
	Below Threshold Level	< 0 basis points	< -300 basis points	0	%
	Threshold Level	0 basis points	-300 basis points	25	%
	Target Level	325 basis points	100 basis points	50	%
	High Level	> 650 basis points	> 500 basis points	100	%
	If the RMS Relative Market Performance falls between the levels specified above, the percentage of the award that will vest with respect to the market condition will be determined using straight-line linear interpolation between such levels.
	Following the completion of the Market Performance Period, the 2014 awards that have satisfied the market condition, if any, will vest 50% on February 27, 2017 and 50% on February 27, 2018, subject to continued employment through each applicable vesting date. Following the completion of the Market Performance Period, the 2015 awards that have satisfied the market condition, if any, will vest 50% on February 27, 2018 and 50% on February 27, 2019, subject to continued employment through each applicable vesting date.
	Service-based vesting will be accelerated, in full or on a pro rata basis, in the event of a change in control, termination of employment by the Company without cause, or termination of employment by the award recipient for good reason, death, disability or retirement, in any case prior to the completion of the Market Performance Period. However, vesting with respect to the market condition will continue to be measured based on RMS Relative Market Performance during the three-year Market Performance Period (or, in the case of a change in control, shortened Market Performance Period).
	The fair value of the 2014 and 2015 grant of awards was measured using a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the probability of the market vesting condition being satisfied. The Company’s achievement of the market vesting condition is contingent on its TSR over a three-year market performance period, relative to the total shareholder return of the RMS. The Monte Carlo simulation is a probabilistic technique based on the underlying theory of the Black-Scholes formula, which was run for 100,000 trials to determine the fair value of the awards. For each trial, the payoff to an award is calculated at the settlement date and is then discounted to the grant date at a risk-free interest rate. The total expected value of the awards on the grant date was determined by multiplying the average value per award over all trials by the number of awards granted. Assumptions used in the 2014 valuation include expected stock price volatility of 33 percent and a risk-free interest rate of 0.67 percent. Assumptions used in the 2015 valuation include expected stock price volatility of 24 percent and a risk-free interest rate of 1.00 percent. The valuations were performed in a risk-neutral framework, so no assumption was made with respect to an equity risk premium.
	As of March 31, 2015, 1,019,952 Class D Units and 368,878 market performance-based RSUs had been awarded to our executive officers and other employees. The number of units granted reflects the maximum number of Class D units or market performance-based RSUs, as applicable, which will become vested assuming the achievement of the highest level of RMS Relative Market Performance under the awards and, in the case of the Class D units, also includes dividend equivalent units. The fair value of these awards of approximately $30.9 million will be recognized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the expected service period of approximately four years. The unearned compensation as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 was $21.0 million and $9.5 million, respectively, net of cancellations. As of March 31, 2015, none of the above awards had vested. We recognized compensation expense related to these awards of approximately $1.2 million and $0.4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. We capitalized amounts relating to compensation expense of employees directly engaged in construction and leasing activities of approximately $0.4 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. If the market conditions are not met, at the end of the performance periods, the unamortized amount will be recognized as an expense at that time.
	(c) Stock Options
	The following table summarizes the Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan’s stock option activity for the period ended March 31, 2015:
		Period Ended March 31, 2015
		Shares			Weighted
					average exercise
					price
	Options outstanding, beginning of period	80,933			$	37.25
	Exercised	(8,001	)		41.73
	Options outstanding, end of period	72,932			$	36.76
	Exercisable, end of period	72,932			$	36.76
	The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding and exercisable as of March 31, 2015:
	Options outstanding and exercisable
	Exercise price	Number			Weighted-average		Weighted-average		Aggregate
		outstanding			remaining		exercise price		intrinsic value
					contractual  life
					(years)
	$20.37-20.37	15,000			0.61		20.37		$	683,850
	$33.18-41.73	57,932			2.05		41		1,445,810
	Total / Weighted-average	72,932			1.75		$	36.76	$	2,129,660
	(d) Restricted Stock
	Below is a summary of our restricted stock activity for the three months ended March 31, 2015.
	Unvested Restricted Stock	Shares			Weighted-Average
					Grant Date Fair
					Value
	Unvested, beginning of period	301,615			$	58.4
	Granted	99,681			66.75
	Vested	(85,286	)		59.29
	Cancelled or expired	(19,543	)		58.7
	Unvested, end of period	296,467			60.93
	The grant date fair values, which equal the market price of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock on the grant date, are being expensed on a straight-line basis for service awards over the vesting period of the restricted stock, which ranges from three to four years. We expense the fair value of awards that contain a performance condition using an accelerated method with each vesting tranche valued as a separate award.
	The expense recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 related to grants of restricted stock was approximately $0.5 million and $0.8 million, respectively. We capitalized amounts relating to compensation expense of employees direct and incremental to construction and successful leasing activities of approximately $0.7 million and $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Unearned compensation representing the unvested portion of the restricted stock totaled $15.0 million and $10.4 million as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. We expect to recognize this unearned compensation over the next 3.0 years on a weighted-average basis.

Derivative_Instruments

Derivative Instruments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments	Derivative Instruments
	Currently, we use interest rate swaps to manage our interest rate risk. The valuation of these instruments is determined using widely accepted valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis on the expected cash flows of each derivative. This analysis reflects the contractual terms of the derivatives, including the period to maturity, and uses observable market-based inputs, including interest rate curves. The fair values of interest rate swaps are determined using the market standard methodology of netting the discounted future fixed cash receipts (or payments) and the discounted expected variable cash payments (or receipts). The variable cash payments (or receipts) are based on an expectation of future interest rates (forward curves) derived from observable market interest rate curves.
	To comply with the provisions of fair value accounting guidance, we incorporate credit valuation adjustments to appropriately reflect both our own nonperformance risk and the respective counterparty’s nonperformance risk in the fair value measurements. In adjusting the fair value of our derivative contracts for the effect of nonperformance risk, we have considered the impact of netting and any applicable credit enhancements, such as collateral postings, thresholds, mutual puts, and guarantees.
	Although we have determined that the majority of the inputs used to value our derivatives fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the credit valuation adjustments associated with our derivatives utilize Level 3 inputs, such as estimates of current credit spreads to evaluate the likelihood of default by us and our counterparties. However, as of March 31, 2015, we have assessed the significance of the impact of the credit valuation adjustments on the overall valuation of our derivative positions and have determined that the credit valuation adjustments are not significant to the overall valuation of our derivatives. As a result, we have determined that our derivative valuations in their entirety are classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. We do not have any fair value measurements on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) as of March 31, 2015 or December 31, 2014.
	As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had the following outstanding interest rate derivatives that were designated as cash flow hedges of interest rate risk (in thousands):
	Notional Amount										Fair Value at Significant Other
											Observable Inputs (Level 2)
	As of			As of			Type of	Strike	Effective Date	Expiration Date	As of			As of
	March 31,			December 31,			Derivative	Rate			March 31,			December 31,
	2015			2014							2015			2014
	Currently-paying contracts
	$	410,905	-1	$	410,905	-1	Swap	0.717	Various	Various	$	(1,145	)	$	(241	)
	138,070		-2	142,965		-2	Swap	0.925	July 17, 2012	April 18, 2017	1,547			669
	548,975			553,870							402			428
	Forward-starting contracts
	—		-3	150,000			Forward-starting Swap	2.091	July 15, 2014	July 15, 2019	—			(2,837		)
	Total
	$	548,975		$	703,870						$	402		$	(2,409	)
	-1	Represents the U.S. dollar tranche of the unsecured term loan.
	-2	Represents a portion of the Singapore dollar tranche of the unsecured term loan. Translation to U.S. dollars is based on exchange rate of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD as of March 31, 2015 and $0.75 to 1.00 SGD as of December 31, 2014.
	-3	In January 2014, we entered into a forward-starting five-year swap contract to protect against adverse fluctuations in interest rates by reducing our exposure to variability in cash flows relating to interest payments on a forecasted issuance of debt. The accrual period of the swap contract was designed to match the tenor of the planned debt issuance. In the fourth quarter of 2014, changes in the forecasted transaction resulted in the discontinuation of cash flow hedge accounting. As such, changes in the fair value of the forward starting swap were recognized in earnings, within the other income (expense) line item. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the total net loss recognized on the forward starting swap was approximately $1.6 million, and on January 13, 2015, we cash settled the forward starting swap for approximately $5.7 million, including accrued interest.
	As of March 31, 2015, we estimate that an additional $2.1 million will be reclassified as an increase to interest expense during the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, when the hedged forecasted transactions impact earnings.

Fair_Value_Of_Instruments

Fair Value Of Instruments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Of Instruments	Fair Value of Instruments
	We disclose fair value information about all financial instruments, whether or not recognized in the condensed consolidated balance sheets, for which it is practicable to estimate fair value. Current accounting guidance requires the Company to disclose fair value information about all financial instruments, whether or not recognized in the balance sheets, for which it is practicable to estimate fair value.
	The Company’s disclosures of estimated fair value of financial instruments at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were determined using available market information and appropriate valuation methods. Considerable judgment is necessary to interpret market data and develop estimated fair value. The use of different market assumptions or estimation methods may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.
	The carrying amounts for cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts and other receivables, accounts payable and other accrued liabilities, accrued dividends and distributions, security deposits and prepaid rents approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments. As described in note 14, the interest rate swaps are recorded at fair value.
	We calculate the fair value of our mortgage loans, unsecured term loan, unsecured senior notes and exchangeable senior debentures based on currently available market rates assuming the loans are outstanding through maturity and considering the collateral and other loan terms. In determining the current market rate for fixed rate debt, a market spread is added to the quoted yields on federal government treasury securities with similar maturity dates to our debt. The carrying value of our global revolving credit facility approximates fair value, due to the variability of interest rates.
	As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the aggregate estimated fair value and carrying value of our global revolving credit facility, unsecured term loan, unsecured senior notes, exchangeable senior debentures and mortgage loans were as follows (in thousands):
		Categorization	As of March 31, 2015				As of December 31, 2014
		under the fair value
		hierarchy	Estimated Fair Value		Carrying Value		Estimated Fair Value		Carrying Value
	Global revolving credit facility (1)	Level 2	$	826,906	$	826,906	$	525,951	$	525,951
	Unsecured term loan (2)	Level 2	942,006		942,006		976,600		976,600
	Unsecured senior notes (3)(4)	Level 2	2,894,846		2,672,472		2,968,073		2,791,758
	Mortgage loans (3)	Level 2	397,050		376,527		399,569		378,818
			$	5,060,808	$	4,817,911	$	4,870,193	$	4,673,127
	-1	The carrying value of our global revolving credit facility approximates estimated fair value, due to the variability of interest rates and the stability of our credit ratings.
	-2	The carrying value of our unsecured term loan approximates estimated fair value, due to the variability of interest rates and the stability of our credit ratings.
	-3	Valuations for our unsecured senior notes and mortgage loans are determined based on the expected future payments discounted at risk-adjusted rates. The 2015 Notes, 2020 Notes, 2021 Notes, 2022 Notes, 2023 Notes and 2025 Notes are valued based on quoted market prices.
	-4	The carrying value of the 2015 Notes, 2020 Notes, 2021 Notes, 2022 Notes, 2023 Notes and 2025 Notes are net of discount of $14,788 and $15,632 in the aggregate as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies
	(a) Contingent liabilities
	As part of the acquisition of 29A International Business Park, an asset acquisition in 2010, the seller could earn additional consideration based on future net operating income growth in excess of certain performance targets, as defined in the agreements for the acquisition. As of December 31, 2014, certain leases executed subsequent to purchase caused an amount to become probable of payment and therefore approximately $12.4 million had been accrued in accounts payable and accrued liabilities and capitalized to buildings and improvements in the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014 and remains accrued as of March 31, 2015. The maximum amount that could be earned by the seller is $50.0 million SGD (or approximately $36.4 million based on the exchange rate as of March 31, 2015). The earnout contingency expires in November 2020.
	One of the tenants at our Convergence Business Park property has an option to expand as part of their lease agreement, which expires in April 2017. As part of this option, development activities were not permitted on specifically identified expansion space within the property until April 2014. From April 2014 through April 2017, the tenant has the right of first refusal on any third party’s bona fide offer to buy the adjacent land. If the tenant exercises their option, we may either construct and lease to the tenant an additional shell building on the expansion space at a stipulated rate of return on cost or sell the existing building and the expansion space to the tenant for a price of approximately $24.0 million and $225,000 per square acre, respectively, plus additional adjustments as provided in the lease.
	As part of the acquisition of the Sentrum Portfolio in July 2012, the seller could earn additional consideration based on future net returns on vacant space to be developed, but not currently leased, as defined in the purchase agreement for the acquisition. The initial estimate of fair value of contingent consideration was approximately £56.5 million (or approximately $87.6 million based on the exchange rate as of July 11, 2012, the acquisition date). We have adjusted the contingent consideration to fair value at each reporting date with changes in fair value recognized in operating income. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, we have reduced the fair value by approximately £30.3 million (or approximately $44.8 million based on the exchange rate as of March 31, 2015). The adjustment was the result of an evaluation by management that no additional leases would be executed for vacant space by July 11, 2015, the contingency expiration date. At March 31, 2015, the fair value of the contingent consideration for the Sentrum Portfolio was £1.4 million (or approximately $2.1 million based on the exchange rate as of March 31, 2015) and is currently accrued in accounts payable and other accrued expenses in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. We made no earnout payments during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. The change in fair value of contingent consideration for Sentrum was recorded as a reduction to operating expense of approximately $43.0 million and $3.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. This amount will be reassessed on a quarterly basis through the contingency expiration date, with any changes being recognized in earnings. Increases or decreases in the fair value of the contingent consideration can result from changes in discount periods, discount rates and probabilities that contingencies will be met.
	(b) Construction Commitments
	Our properties require periodic investments of capital for tenant-related capital expenditures and for general capital improvements. From time to time in the normal course of our business, we enter into various construction contracts with third parties that may obligate us to make payments. At March 31, 2015, we had open commitments related to construction contracts of approximately $124.4 million.
	(c) Legal Proceedings
	Although the Company is involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, as of March 31, 2015, the Company is not currently a party to any legal proceedings nor, to its knowledge, is any legal proceeding threatened against it that it believes would have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Subsequent Events
	On April 30, 2015, the operating partnership sold the 833 Chestnut Street property for approximately $161 million. The transaction after costs and buyer credits resulted in net proceeds of approximately $150 million and a net gain of approximately $77 million. The property was identified as held for sale as of March 31, 2015. 833 Chestnut Street was not a significant component of our U.S. portfolio nor does the sale represent a significant shift in our strategy.
	On April 24, 2015, the operating partnership gave notice of its intention to redeem all of its outstanding 2015 Notes, pursuant to its option under the Indenture governing the 2015 Notes, dated July 8, 2010. The redemption date is May 26, 2015 and the redemption price is 100% of the principal amount of the 2015 Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon up to, but excluding, the redemption date. As of March 31, 2015, the aggregate principal amount of the 2015 Notes outstanding was $375.0 million.

Summary_Of_Significant_Account1

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Principles Of Consolidation And Basis Of Presentation	(a) Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements include all of the accounts of Digital Realty Trust, Inc., the Operating Partnership and the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
	The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited, but have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information and in compliance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation have been included. All such adjustments are considered to be of a normal recurring nature, except as otherwise indicated. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be obtained for the full fiscal year. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.
	The notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and the Operating Partnership have been combined to provide the following benefits:
	•	enhancing investors’ understanding of the Company and the Operating Partnership by enabling investors to view the business as a whole in the same manner as management views and operates the business;
	•	eliminating duplicative disclosure and providing a more streamlined and readable presentation since a substantial portion of the disclosure applies to both the Company and the Operating Partnership; and
	•	creating time and cost efficiencies through the preparation of one set of notes instead of two separate sets of notes.
	There are a few differences between the Company and the Operating Partnership, which are reflected in these condensed consolidated financial statements. We believe it is important to understand the differences between the Company and the Operating Partnership in the context of how we operate as an interrelated consolidated company. Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s only material asset is its ownership of partnership interests of the Operating Partnership. As a result, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. does not conduct business itself, other than acting as the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, issuing public equity from time to time and guaranteeing certain unsecured debt of the Operating Partnership and certain of its subsidiaries. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. itself does not hold any indebtedness but guarantees the unsecured debt of the Operating Partnership and certain of its subsidiaries, as disclosed in these notes.
	The Operating Partnership holds substantially all the assets of the Company and holds the ownership interests in the Company’s joint ventures. The Operating Partnership conducts the operations of the business and is structured as a partnership with no publicly traded equity. Except for net proceeds from public equity issuances by Digital Realty Trust, Inc., which are generally contributed to the Operating Partnership in exchange for partnership units, the Operating Partnership generates the capital required by the Company’s business through the Operating Partnership’s operations, by the Operating Partnership’s direct or indirect incurrence of indebtedness or through the issuance of partnership units.
	The presentation of noncontrolling interests in operating partnership, stockholders’ equity and partners’ capital are the main areas of difference between the condensed consolidated financial statements of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and those of the Operating Partnership. The common limited partnership interests held by the limited partners in the Operating Partnership are presented as limited partners’ capital within partners’ capital in the Operating Partnership’s condensed consolidated financial statements and as noncontrolling interests in operating partnership within equity in Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s condensed consolidated financial statements. The common and preferred partnership interests held by Digital Realty Trust, Inc. in the Operating Partnership are presented as general partner’s capital within partners’ capital in the Operating Partnership’s condensed consolidated financial statements and as preferred stock, common stock, additional paid-in capital and accumulated dividends in excess of earnings within stockholders’ equity in Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s condensed consolidated financial statements. The differences in the presentations between stockholders’ equity and partners’ capital result from the differences in the equity issued at the Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and the Operating Partnership levels.
	To help investors understand the significant differences between the Company and the Operating Partnership, these consolidated financial statements present the following separate sections for each of the Company and the Operating Partnership:
	•	condensed consolidated face financial statements; and
	•	the following notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements:
	•	Debt of the Company and Debt of the Operating Partnership;
	•	Income per Share and Income per Unit; and
	•	Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net and Capital and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.
	In the sections that combine disclosure of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and the Operating Partnership, these notes refer to actions or holdings as being actions or holdings of the Company. Although the Operating Partnership is generally the entity that enters into contracts and joint ventures and holds assets and debt, reference to the Company is appropriate because the business is one enterprise and the Company operates the business through the Operating Partnership.
Cash Equivalents	(b) Cash Equivalents
	For the purpose of the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, we consider short-term investments with original maturities of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. As of March 31, 2015, cash equivalents consist of investments in money market instruments.
Investment In Unconsolidated Joint Ventures	(c) Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures
	The Company’s investment in unconsolidated joint ventures is accounted for using the equity method, whereby the investment is increased for capital contributed and our share of the joint ventures’ net income and decreased by distributions we receive and our share of any losses of the joint ventures.
	We amortize the difference between the cost of our investments in unconsolidated joint ventures and the book value of the underlying equity into equity in earnings from unconsolidated affiliates on a straight-line basis consistent with the lives of the underlying assets.
Capitalization Of Costs	(d) Capitalization of Costs
	Direct and indirect project costs that are clearly associated with the development of properties are capitalized as incurred. Project costs include all costs directly associated with the development of a property, including construction costs, interest, property taxes, insurance, legal fees and costs of personnel working on the project. Indirect costs that do not clearly relate to the projects under development are not capitalized and are charged to expense as incurred.
	Capitalization of costs begins when the activities necessary to get the development project ready for its intended use begins, which include costs incurred before the beginning of construction. Capitalization of costs ceases when the development project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Determining when a development project commences, and when it is substantially complete and ready for its intended use involves a degree of judgment. We generally consider a development project to be substantially complete and ready for its intended use upon receipt of a certificate of occupancy. If and when development of a property is suspended pursuant to a formal change in the planned use of the property, we will evaluate whether the accumulated costs exceed the estimated value of the project and write off the amount of any such excess accumulated costs. For a development project that is suspended for reasons other than a formal change in the planned use of such property, the accumulated project costs are evaluated for impairment consistent with our impairment policies for long-lived assets. Capitalized costs are allocated to the specific components of a project that are benefited.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, we capitalized interest of approximately $4.3 million and $5.3 million, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, we capitalized amounts relating to compensation and other overhead expense of employees direct and incremental to construction and successful leasing activities of approximately $12.3 million and $11.4 million, respectively. Capitalized leasing costs of $13.7 million and $9.6 million are included in improvements to and advances for investments in real estate in cash flows from investing activities in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Share Based Compensation	(e) Share-Based Compensation
	The Company measures all share-based compensation awards at fair value on the date they are granted to employees and directors, and recognizes compensation cost, net of forfeitures, over the requisite service period for awards with only a service condition. The estimated fair value of the long-term incentive units and Class D Units (discussed in note 13) granted by us is being amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected service period.
	The fair value of share-based compensation awards that contain a market condition is measured using a Monte Carlo simulation method and not adjusted based on actual achievement of the performance goals.
Income Taxes	(f) Income Taxes
	Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. generally is not required to pay federal corporate income tax to the extent taxable income is currently distributed to its stockholders. If Digital Realty Trust, Inc. fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, it will be subject to federal income tax (including any applicable alternative minimum tax) on its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates.
	The Company is subject to foreign, state and local income taxes in the jurisdictions in which it conducts business. The Company’s U.S. consolidated taxable REIT subsidiaries are subject to both federal and state income taxes to the extent there is taxable income. Accordingly, the Company recognizes current and deferred income taxes for its taxable REIT subsidiaries, certain states and non-U.S. jurisdictions, as appropriate.
	We assess our significant tax positions in accordance with U.S. GAAP for all open tax years and determine whether we have any material unrecognized liabilities from uncertain tax benefits. If a tax position is not considered “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained solely on its technical merits, no benefits of the tax position are to be recognized (for financial statement purposes). As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we have no assets or liabilities for uncertain tax positions. We classify interest and penalties from significant uncertain tax positions as interest expense and operating expense, respectively, in our condensed consolidated income statements. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, we had no such interest or penalties. The tax year 2011 and thereafter remain open to examination by the major taxing jurisdictions with which the Company files tax returns.
	See Note 10 for further discussion on income taxes.
Presentation Of Transactional-Based Taxes	(g) Presentation of Transactional-based Taxes
	We account for transactional-based taxes, such as value added tax, or VAT, for our international properties on a net basis.
Fee Income	(h) Fee Income
	Occasionally, customers engage the company for certain services. The nature of these services historically involves property management, construction management, and assistance with financing. The proper revenue recognition of these services can be different, depending on whether the arrangements are service revenue or contractor type revenue.
	Service revenues are typically recognized on an equal monthly basis based on the minimum fee to be earned. The monthly amounts could be adjusted depending on if certain performance milestones are met.
	Fee income also includes management fees. These fees arise from contractual agreements with entities in which we have a noncontrolling interest. The management fees are recognized as earned under the respective agreements. Management and other fee income related to partially owned entities are recognized to the extent attributable to the unaffiliated interest.
Assets And Liabilities Measured At Fair Value	(i) Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value
	Fair value under U.S. GAAP is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement. Therefore, our fair value measurements are determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair-value measurements, we use a fair-value hierarchy that distinguishes between market participant assumptions based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity (observable inputs that are classified within Levels 1 and 2 of the hierarchy) and the reporting entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions (unobservable inputs classified within Level 3 of the hierarchy).
	Level 1 inputs utilize quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access. Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs may include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, as well as inputs that are observable for the asset or liability (other than quoted prices), such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability which are typically based on an entity’s own assumptions, as there is little, if any, related market activity. In instances where the determination of the fair-value measurement is based on inputs from different levels of the fair-value hierarchy, the lowest level input that is significant would be used to determine the fair-value measurement in its entirety. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair-value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, and considers factors specific to the asset or liability.
Transactions Expense	(j) Transactions Expense
	Transactions expense includes acquisition-related expenses and other business development expenses, which are expensed as incurred. Acquisition-related expenses include closing costs, broker commissions and other professional fees, including legal and accounting fees related to acquisitions and significant transactions.
Management's Estimates	(k) Management’s Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates made. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to the valuation of our real estate properties, contingent consideration, accounts receivable and deferred rent receivable, performance-based equity compensation plans, the completeness of accrued liabilities and Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s qualification as a REIT. We base our estimates on historical experience, current market conditions, and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may vary from those estimates and those estimates could vary under different assumptions or conditions.
Segment And Geographic Information	(l) Segment and Geographic Information
	All of our properties generate similar revenues and expenses related to tenant rent and reimbursements and operating expenses. The delivery of our products is consistent across all properties and although services are provided to a wide range of customers, the types of real estate services provided to them are standardized throughout the portfolio. As such, the properties in our portfolio have similar economic characteristics and the nature of the products and services provided to our customers and the method to distribute such services are consistent throughout the portfolio. Consequently, our properties qualify for aggregation into one reporting segment.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	(n) Recent Accounting Pronouncements
	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an update Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09 establishing ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 establishes a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most of the existing revenue recognition guidance. ASU 2014-09 requires an entity to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services and also requires certain additional disclosures. ASU 2014-09 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years that begin after December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated financial statements.
	In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis, which provides guidance on the consolidation evaluation for reporting organizations that are required to evaluate whether they should consolidate certain legal entities. In accordance with the guidance, all legal entities are subject to reevaluation under the revised consolidation model. The guidance is effective in the first quarter of 2016, and early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of ASU 2015-02 on our consolidated financial statements.
	On April 17, 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires debt issuance costs to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the associated debt liability.  Currently, debt issuance costs are recorded as an asset and amortization of these deferred financing costs is recorded in interest expense.  Under the new standard, debt issuance costs will continued to be amortized over the life of the debt instrument and amortization will continue to be recorded in interest expense.  The new standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2016 and will be applied on a retrospective basis.  The Company is currently evaluating ASU 2015-03, and anticipates a change in our presentation only since the standard does not alter the accounting for debt issuance costs.

Investment_In_Unconsolidated_J1

Investment In Unconsolidated Joint Ventures (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Summary Of Financial Information For Joint Ventures	The following tables present summarized financial information for the joint ventures as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 (unaudited, in thousands):
		As of March 31, 2015										Three Months Ended March 31, 2015
	2015	Net Investment		Total Assets		Debt		Total		Equity		Revenues		Property			Net		Net Income
		in Properties						Liabilities						Operating			Operating
														Expense			Income
	Total Unconsolidated Joint Ventures	$	773,457	$	949,576	$	461,153	$	566,483	$	383,093	$	31,850	$	(8,175	)	$	23,675	$	10,026
	Our investment in and share of equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures									$	103,475								$	4,618
		As of December 31, 2014										Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
	2014	Net Investment		Total Assets		Debt		Total		Equity		Revenues		Property			Net		Net Income
		in Properties						Liabilities						Operating			Operating
														Expense			Income
	Total Unconsolidated Joint Ventures	$	779,752	$	942,107	$	461,548	$	569,895	$	372,212	$	21,919	$	(5,009	)	$	16,910	$	5,894
	Our investment in and share of equity in earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures									$	94,729								$	2,581

Acquired_Intangible_Assets_And1

Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities [Abstract]
Summary Of Acquired Intangible Assets	The following summarizes our acquired intangible assets (acquired in-place lease value and acquired above-market lease value) and intangible liabilities (acquired below-market lease value) as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014.
		Balance as of
	(Amounts in thousands)	31-Mar-15			31-Dec-14
	Acquired in-place lease value:
	Gross amount	$	674,243		$	680,419
	Accumulated amortization	(463,049		)	(452,739		)
	Net	$	211,194		$	227,680
	Acquired above-market leases:
	Gross amount	$	122,301		$	126,677
	Accumulated amortization	(87,544		)	(88,072		)
	Net	$	34,757		$	38,605
	Acquired below-market leases:
	Gross amount	$	278,360		$	282,670
	Accumulated amortization	(181,126		)	(178,435		)
	Net	$	97,234		$	104,235
Schedule Of Estimated Annual Amortization Of Below Market Leases	Estimated annual amortization of acquired below-market leases, net of acquired above-market leases, for each of the five succeeding years and thereafter, commencing April 1, 2015 is as follows:
	(Amounts in thousands)
	Remainder of 2015	$	6,693
	2016	7,579
	2017	6,182
	2018	4,574
	2019	4,632
	Thereafter	32,817
	Total	$	62,477
Schedule Of Estimated Annual Amortization Of Acquired In Place Leases	Estimated annual amortization of acquired in-place lease value for each of the five succeeding years and thereafter, commencing April 1, 2015 is as follows:
	(Amounts in thousands)
	Remainder of 2015	$	28,812
	2016	31,822
	2017	27,223
	2018	24,904
	2019	22,416
	Thereafter	76,017
	Total	$	211,194

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners1

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Tables) (Digital Realty Trust, L.P.)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Summary Of Outstanding Indebtedness Of The Operating Partnership	A summary of outstanding indebtedness of the Operating Partnership as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 is as follows (in thousands):
	Indebtedness	Interest Rate at March 31, 2015		Maturity Date		Principal Outstanding March 31, 2015				Principal Outstanding December 31, 2014
	Global revolving credit facility	Various	-1	Nov 3, 2017		$	826,906		-2	$	525,951		-2
	Unsecured term loan	Various	(3)(6)	Apr 16, 2017		942,006			-4	976,600			-4
	Unsecured senior notes:
	Prudential Shelf Facility:
	Series C	9.68%		Jan 6, 2016		25,000				25,000
	Series D	4.57%		Jan 20, 2015		—			-9	50,000
	Series E	5.73%		Jan 20, 2017		50,000				50,000
	Series F	4.50%		Feb 3, 2015		—			-9	17,000
	Total Prudential Shelf Facility					75,000				142,000
	Senior Notes:
	4.50% notes due 2015	4.50%		Jul 15, 2015	-8	375,000				375,000
	5.875% notes due 2020	5.88%		Feb 1, 2020		500,000				500,000
	5.25% notes due 2021	5.25%		Mar 15, 2021		400,000				400,000
	3.625% notes due 2022	3.62%		Oct 1, 2022		300,000				300,000
	4.75% notes due 2023	4.75%		Oct 13, 2023		444,540			-7	467,310			-7
	4.25% notes due 2025	4.25%		Jan 17, 2025		592,720			-7	623,080			-7
	Unamortized discounts					(14,788		)		(15,632		)
	Total senior notes, net of discount					2,597,472				2,649,758
	Total unsecured senior notes, net of discount					2,672,472				2,791,758
	Indebtedness	Interest Rate at March 31, 2015		Maturity Date		Principal Outstanding March 31, 2015				Principal Outstanding December 31, 2014
	Mortgage loans:
	200 Paul Avenue 1-4 (5)	5.74%		Oct 8, 2015		68,121				68,665
	2045 & 2055 Lafayette Street (5)	5.93%		Feb 6, 2017		62,275				62,563
	34551 Ardenwood Boulevard 1-4 (5)	5.95%		Nov 11, 2016		51,118				51,339
	1100 Space Park Drive (5)	5.89%		Dec 11, 2016		51,071				51,295
	600 West Seventh Street	5.80%		Mar 15, 2016		47,379				47,825
	150 South First Street (5)	6.30%		Feb 6, 2017		49,103				49,316
	2334 Lundy Place (5)	5.96%		Nov 11, 2016		37,179				37,340
	8025 North Interstate 35	4.09%		Mar 6, 2016		5,991				6,057
	731 East Trade Street	8.22%		Jul 1, 2020		3,744				3,836
	Unamortized net premiums					546				582
	Total mortgage loans, net of premiums					376,527				378,818
	Total indebtedness					$	4,817,911			$	4,673,127
	_________________________________
	-1	The interest rate for borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equals the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the current credit ratings of our long-term debt. An annual facility fee of 20 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt, is due and payable quarterly on the total commitment amount of the facility. Two six-month extensions are available, which we may exercise if certain conditions are met.
	-2	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):
	Denomination of Draw	Balance as of March 31, 2015				Weighted-average			Balance as of December 31, 2014				Weighted-average
						interest rate							interest rate
	Floating Rate Borrowing (a)
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	317,000			1.28	%		$	90,000			1.27	%
	British pound sterling (£)	125,360			(c)	1.62	%		132,716				1.61	%
	Euro (€)	140,791			(c)	1.05	%		58,071			(d)	1.13	%
	Australian dollar (AUD)	70,061			(c)	3.35	%		72,676			(d)	3.74	%
	Hong Kong dollar (HKD)	87,417			(c)	1.34	%		79,336			(d)	1.34	%
	Japanese yen (JPY)	13,235			(c)	1.17	%		13,201			(d)	1.17	%
	Singapore dollar (SGD)	4,153			(c)	1.86	%		6,565			(d)	1.64	%
	Canadian dollar (CAD)	61,889			(c)	2.1	%		62,386			(d)	2.39	%
	Total	$	819,906			1.54	%		$	514,951			1.84	%
	Base Rate Borrowing (b)
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	7,000			3.35	%		$	11,000			3.35	%
	Total borrowings	$	826,906			1.55	%		$	525,951			1.87	%
	(a)	The interest rates for floating rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
	(b)	The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
	(c)	Based on exchange rates of $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00, $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.73 to 1.00 SGD and $0.79 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
	(d)	Based on exchange rates of $1.21 to €1.00, $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.75 to 1.00 SGD and $0.86 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
	-3	Interest rates are based on our current senior unsecured debt ratings and are 120 basis points over the applicable index for floating rate advances. Two six-month extensions are available, which we may exercise if certain conditions are met.
	-4	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):
	Denomination of Draw	Balance as of March 31, 2015				Weighted-average			Balance as of December 31, 2014				Weighted-average
						interest rate							interest rate
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	410,905			1.38	%	(b)	$	410,905			1.36	%	(d)
	Singapore dollar (SGD)	166,485			(a)	1.75	%	(b)	172,426			(c)	1.45	%	(d)
	British pound sterling (£)	179,187			(a)	1.76	%		188,365			(c)	1.76	%
Euro (€)	106,773			(a)	1.19	%		120,375			(c)	1.22	%
Australian dollar (AUD)	78,656			(a)	3.5	%		84,529			(c)	3.98	%
Total	$	942,006			1.67	%	(b)	$	976,600			1.66	%	(d)
(a)	Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
(b)	As of March 31, 2015, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.10% (Singapore dollar) and 1.97% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
(c)	Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
(d)	As of December 31, 2014, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.01% (Singapore dollar) and 2.00% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
-5	The respective borrower’s assets and credit are not available to satisfy the debts and other obligations of affiliates or any other person.
-6	We have entered into interest rate swap agreements as a cash flow hedge for interest generated by the U.S. dollar and Singapore dollar tranches of the unsecured term loan. See note 14 for further information.
-7	Based on exchange rate of $1.48 to £1.00 as of March 31, 2015 and $1.56 to £1.00 as of December 31, 2014.
-8	On April 24, 2015, the operating partnership gave notice of its intention to redeem all of its outstanding 2015 Notes, pursuant to its option under the Indenture governing the 2015 Notes, dated July 8, 2010. The redemption date is May 26, 2015 and the redemption price is 100% of the principal amount of the 2015 Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon up to, but excluding, the redemption date.
-9	These unsecured senior notes were repaid in full at maturity.
Schedule Of Balances And Foreign Currency Translation Revolving Credit Facilities	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):
	Denomination of Draw	Balance as of March 31, 2015				Weighted-average			Balance as of December 31, 2014				Weighted-average
						interest rate							interest rate
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	410,905			1.38	%	(b)	$	410,905			1.36	%	(d)
	Singapore dollar (SGD)	166,485			(a)	1.75	%	(b)	172,426			(c)	1.45	%	(d)
	British pound sterling (£)	179,187			(a)	1.76	%		188,365			(c)	1.76	%
	Euro (€)	106,773			(a)	1.19	%		120,375			(c)	1.22	%
	Australian dollar (AUD)	78,656			(a)	3.5	%		84,529			(c)	3.98	%
	Total	$	942,006			1.67	%	(b)	$	976,600			1.66	%	(d)
	(a)	Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
	(b)	As of March 31, 2015, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.10% (Singapore dollar) and 1.97% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
	(c)	Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
	(d)	As of December 31, 2014, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.01% (Singapore dollar) and 2.00% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):
	Denomination of Draw	Balance as of March 31, 2015				Weighted-average			Balance as of December 31, 2014				Weighted-average
						interest rate							interest rate
	Floating Rate Borrowing (a)
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	317,000			1.28	%		$	90,000			1.27	%
	British pound sterling (£)	125,360			(c)	1.62	%		132,716				1.61	%
	Euro (€)	140,791			(c)	1.05	%		58,071			(d)	1.13	%
	Australian dollar (AUD)	70,061			(c)	3.35	%		72,676			(d)	3.74	%
	Hong Kong dollar (HKD)	87,417			(c)	1.34	%		79,336			(d)	1.34	%
	Japanese yen (JPY)	13,235			(c)	1.17	%		13,201			(d)	1.17	%
	Singapore dollar (SGD)	4,153			(c)	1.86	%		6,565			(d)	1.64	%
	Canadian dollar (CAD)	61,889			(c)	2.1	%		62,386			(d)	2.39	%
	Total	$	819,906			1.54	%		$	514,951			1.84	%
	Base Rate Borrowing (b)
	U.S. dollar ($)	$	7,000			3.35	%		$	11,000			3.35	%
	Total borrowings	$	826,906			1.55	%		$	525,951			1.87	%
	(a)	The interest rates for floating rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
	(b)	The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
	(c)	Based on exchange rates of $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00, $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.73 to 1.00 SGD and $0.79 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
	(d)	Based on exchange rates of $1.21 to €1.00, $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.75 to 1.00 SGD and $0.86 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
Schedule Of Debt Maturities And Principal Maturities	The table below summarizes our debt maturities and principal payments as of March 31, 2015 (in thousands):
		Global Revolving				Unsecured				Prudential				Senior Notes			Mortgage		Total
		Credit Facility(1)				Term Loan (1)				Shelf Facility							Loans		Debt
	Remainder of 2015	$	—			$	—			$	—			$	375,000		$	73,237	$	448,237
	2016	—				—				25,000				—			191,979		216,979
	2017	826,906				942,006				50,000				—			108,395		1,927,307
	2018	—				—				—				—			593		593
	2019	—				—				—				—			644		644
	Thereafter	—				—				—				2,237,260			1,133		2,238,393
	Subtotal	$	826,906			$	942,006			$	75,000			$	2,612,260		$	375,981	$	4,832,153
	Unamortized discount	—				—				—				(14,788		)	—		(14,788		)
	Unamortized premium	—				—				—				—			546		546
	Total	$	826,906			$	942,006			$	75,000			$	2,597,472		$	376,527	$	4,817,911
	-1	Subject to two six-month extension options exercisable by us. The bank group is obligated to grant the extension options provided we give proper notice, we make certain representations and warranties and no default exists under the global revolving credit facility and the unsecured term loan, as applicable.

Income_per_Share_Tables

Income per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Summary Of Basic And Diluted Earnings Per Share	The following is a summary of basic and diluted income per share (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015			2014
	Net income available to common stockholders	$	101,728		$	34,186
	Weighted average shares outstanding—basic	135,704,525			128,535,995
	Potentially dilutive common shares:
	Stock options	33,839			51,909
	Unvested incentive units	147,874			160,717
	Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	—			388,340
	2014 market performance-based awards	242,562			—
	Weighted average shares outstanding—diluted	136,128,800			129,136,961
	Income per share:
	Basic	$	0.75		$	0.27
	Diluted	$	0.75		$	0.26
Schedule Of Antidilutive Securities Excluded From Computation Of Earnings Per Share	We have excluded the following potentially dilutive securities in the calculations above as they would be antidilutive or not dilutive:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015		2014
	Weighted average of Operating Partnership common units not owned by Digital Realty Trust, Inc.	2,702,468		2,606,669
	Potentially dilutive 2029 Debentures	—		6,806,254
	Potentially dilutive Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	4,392,889		5,674,269
	Potentially dilutive Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	2,785,960		3,598,608
	Potentially dilutive Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	3,809,345		4,920,508
	Potentially dilutive Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	5,582,197		—
		19,272,859		23,606,308

Income_per_Unit_Tables

Income per Unit (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Summary Of Basic And Diluted Earnings Per Share	The following is a summary of basic and diluted income per share (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015			2014
	Net income available to common stockholders	$	101,728		$	34,186
	Weighted average shares outstanding—basic	135,704,525			128,535,995
	Potentially dilutive common shares:
	Stock options	33,839			51,909
	Unvested incentive units	147,874			160,717
	Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	—			388,340
	2014 market performance-based awards	242,562			—
	Weighted average shares outstanding—diluted	136,128,800			129,136,961
	Income per share:
	Basic	$	0.75		$	0.27
	Diluted	$	0.75		$	0.26
Schedule Of Antidilutive Securities Excluded From Computation Of Earnings Per Share	We have excluded the following potentially dilutive securities in the calculations above as they would be antidilutive or not dilutive:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015		2014
	Weighted average of Operating Partnership common units not owned by Digital Realty Trust, Inc.	2,702,468		2,606,669
	Potentially dilutive 2029 Debentures	—		6,806,254
	Potentially dilutive Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	4,392,889		5,674,269
	Potentially dilutive Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	2,785,960		3,598,608
	Potentially dilutive Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	3,809,345		4,920,508
	Potentially dilutive Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock	5,582,197		—
		19,272,859		23,606,308
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Summary Of Basic And Diluted Earnings Per Share	The following is a summary of basic and diluted income per unit (in thousands, except unit and per unit amounts):
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015			2014
	Net income available to common unitholders	$	103,754		$	34,879
	Weighted average units outstanding—basic	138,406,993			131,142,664
	Potentially dilutive common units:
	Stock options	33,839			51,909
	Unvested incentive units	147,874			160,717
	Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	—			388,340
	2014 market performance-based awards	242,562			—
	Weighted average units outstanding—diluted	138,831,268			131,743,630
	Income per unit:
	Basic	$	0.75		$	0.27
	Diluted	$	0.75		$	0.26
Schedule Of Antidilutive Securities Excluded From Computation Of Earnings Per Share	We have excluded the following potentially dilutive securities in the calculations above as they would be antidilutive or not dilutive:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2015		2014
	Potentially dilutive 2029 Debentures	—		6,806,254
	Potentially dilutive Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	4,392,889		5,674,269
	Potentially dilutive Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	2,785,960		3,598,608
	Potentially dilutive Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	3,809,345		4,920,508
	Potentially dilutive Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	5,582,197		—
		16,570,391		20,999,639

Equity_And_Accumulated_Other_C1

Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net [Abstract]
Ownership Interest In The Operating Partnership	The following table shows the ownership interests in the Operating Partnership as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:
		31-Mar-15						31-Dec-14
		Number of units			Percentage of total			Number of units			Percentage of total
	Digital Realty Trust, Inc.	135,793,668			97.9	%		135,626,255			97.8	%
	Noncontrolling interests consist of:
	Common units held by third parties	1,425,314			1			1,463,814			1.1
	Incentive units held by employees and directors (see note 13)	1,499,397			1.1			1,549,847			1.1
		138,718,379			100	%		138,639,916			100	%
Summary Of Activity For Noncontrolling Interests In The Operating Partnership	The following table shows activity for the noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership for the three months ended March 31, 2015:
		Common Units			Incentive Units			Total
	As of December 31, 2014	1,463,814			1,549,847			3,013,661
	Redemption of common units for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock (1)	(38,500	)		—			(38,500	)
	Conversion of incentive units held by employees and directors for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock (1)	—			(40,774	)		(40,774	)
	Cancellation of incentive units held by employees and directors	—			(11,549	)		(11,549	)
	Grant of incentive units to employees and directors	—			1,873			1,873
	As of March 31, 2015	1,425,314			1,499,397			2,924,711
	-1	This redemption was recorded as a reduction to noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership and an increase to common stock and additional paid in capital based on the book value per unit in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
Schedule Of Dividends/Distributions	We have declared and paid the following dividends on our common and preferred stock for the three months ended March 31, 2015 (in thousands, except per share data):
	Date dividend declared	Dividend		Series E				Series F				Series G		Series H		Common
		payment date		Preferred				Preferred				Preferred		Preferred		Stock
				Stock				Stock				Stock		Stock
	February 25, 2015	March 31, 2015		$	5,031			$	3,023			$	3,672	$	6,730	$	115,419
	Annual rate of dividend per share			$	1.75			$	1.656			$	1.469	$	1.844	$	3.4
Schedule Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net	The accumulated balances for each item within other comprehensive income, net are as follows (in thousands):
		Foreign currency				Cash flow hedge				Accumulated other
		translation				adjustments				comprehensive loss, net
		adjustments
	Balance as of December 31, 2014	$	(39,567	)		$	(5,479	)		$	(45,046	)
	Net current period change	(44,948		)	(1)	(2,370		)		(47,318		)
	Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	—				802				802
	Balance as of March 31, 2015	$	(84,515	)		$	(7,047	)		$	(91,562	)
	(1) During the first three months of 2015, the U.S. dollar was generally stronger against the other currencies in which we transact business, primarily the Euro and British pound sterling.

Capital_And_Accumulated_Other_1

Capital And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Schedule Of Dividends/Distributions	We have declared and paid the following dividends on our common and preferred stock for the three months ended March 31, 2015 (in thousands, except per share data):
	Date dividend declared	Dividend		Series E				Series F				Series G		Series H		Common
		payment date		Preferred				Preferred				Preferred		Preferred		Stock
				Stock				Stock				Stock		Stock
	February 25, 2015	March 31, 2015		$	5,031			$	3,023			$	3,672	$	6,730	$	115,419
	Annual rate of dividend per share			$	1.75			$	1.656			$	1.469	$	1.844	$	3.4
Schedule Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net	The accumulated balances for each item within other comprehensive income, net are as follows (in thousands):
		Foreign currency				Cash flow hedge				Accumulated other
		translation				adjustments				comprehensive loss, net
		adjustments
	Balance as of December 31, 2014	$	(39,567	)		$	(5,479	)		$	(45,046	)
	Net current period change	(44,948		)	(1)	(2,370		)		(47,318		)
	Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	—				802				802
	Balance as of March 31, 2015	$	(84,515	)		$	(7,047	)		$	(91,562	)
	(1) During the first three months of 2015, the U.S. dollar was generally stronger against the other currencies in which we transact business, primarily the Euro and British pound sterling.
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Schedule Of Dividends/Distributions	The Operating Partnership has declared and paid the following distributions on its common and preferred units for the three months ended March 31, 2015 (in thousands, except for per unit data):
	Date distribution declared	Distribution		Series E				Series F				Series G		Series H		Common
		payment date		Preferred				Preferred				Preferred		Preferred		Units
				Units				Units				Units		Units
	February 25, 2015	March 31, 2015		$	5,031			$	3,023			$	3,672	$	6,730	$	117,896
	Annual rate of distribution per unit			$	1.75			$	1.656			$	1.469	$	1.844	$	3.4
Schedule Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net	The accumulated balances for each item within other comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):
		Foreign currency				Cash flow hedge				Accumulated other
		translation				adjustments				comprehensive loss
		adjustments
	Balance as of December 31, 2014	$	(42,138	)		$	(6,295	)		$	(48,433	)
	Net current period change	(45,843		)	(1)	(2,417		)		(48,260		)
	Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	—				818				818
	Balance as of March 31, 2015	$	(87,981	)		$	(7,894	)		$	(95,875	)
	(1) During the first three months of 2015, the U.S. dollar was generally stronger against the other currencies in which we transact business, primarily the Euro and British pound sterling.

Incentive_Plan_Tables

Incentive Plan (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Summary Of Long-Term Incentive Unit Activity	Below is a summary of our long-term incentive unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2015.
	Unvested Long-term Incentive Units	Units			Weighted-Average
					Grant Date Fair
					Value
	Unvested, beginning of period	314,415			$	59.34
	Granted	1,873			66.75
	Vested	(143,775	)		59.83
	Cancelled or expired	(11,549	)		57.37
	Unvested, end of period	160,964			59.13
Market Performance Based Awards	In the event that the RMS Relative Market Performance during the Market Performance Period is achieved at the “threshold,” “target” or “high” level as set forth below, the awards will become vested as to the market condition with respect to the percentage of Class D units or RSUs, as applicable, set forth below:
	Level	RMS Relative	RMS Relative	Market
		Market Performance (2014 Grant)	Market Performance (2015 Grant)	Performance
				Vesting
				Percentage
	Below Threshold Level	< 0 basis points	< -300 basis points	0	%
	Threshold Level	0 basis points	-300 basis points	25	%
	Target Level	325 basis points	100 basis points	50	%
	High Level	> 650 basis points	> 500 basis points	100	%
Summary Of Incentive Award Plan's Stock Option	The following table summarizes the Amended and Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan’s stock option activity for the period ended March 31, 2015:
		Period Ended March 31, 2015
		Shares			Weighted
					average exercise
					price
	Options outstanding, beginning of period	80,933			$	37.25
	Exercised	(8,001	)		41.73
	Options outstanding, end of period	72,932			$	36.76
	Exercisable, end of period	72,932			$	36.76
Summary Of Stock Options Outstanding And Exercisable	The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding and exercisable as of March 31, 2015:
	Options outstanding and exercisable
	Exercise price	Number			Weighted-average		Weighted-average		Aggregate
		outstanding			remaining		exercise price		intrinsic value
					contractual  life
					(years)
	$20.37-20.37	15,000			0.61		20.37		$	683,850
	$33.18-41.73	57,932			2.05		41		1,445,810
	Total / Weighted-average	72,932			1.75		$	36.76	$	2,129,660
Summary Of Restricted Stock Activity	Below is a summary of our restricted stock activity for the three months ended March 31, 2015.
	Unvested Restricted Stock	Shares			Weighted-Average
					Grant Date Fair
					Value
	Unvested, beginning of period	301,615			$	58.4
	Granted	99,681			66.75
	Vested	(85,286	)		59.29
	Cancelled or expired	(19,543	)		58.7
	Unvested, end of period	296,467			60.93

Derivative_Instruments_Tables

Derivative Instruments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule Of Outstanding Derivative Instruments	As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had the following outstanding interest rate derivatives that were designated as cash flow hedges of interest rate risk (in thousands):
	Notional Amount										Fair Value at Significant Other
											Observable Inputs (Level 2)
	As of			As of			Type of	Strike	Effective Date	Expiration Date	As of			As of
	March 31,			December 31,			Derivative	Rate			March 31,			December 31,
	2015			2014							2015			2014
	Currently-paying contracts
	$	410,905	-1	$	410,905	-1	Swap	0.717	Various	Various	$	(1,145	)	$	(241	)
	138,070		-2	142,965		-2	Swap	0.925	July 17, 2012	April 18, 2017	1,547			669
	548,975			553,870							402			428
	Forward-starting contracts
	—		-3	150,000			Forward-starting Swap	2.091	July 15, 2014	July 15, 2019	—			(2,837		)
	Total
	$	548,975		$	703,870						$	402		$	(2,409	)
	-1	Represents the U.S. dollar tranche of the unsecured term loan.
	-2	Represents a portion of the Singapore dollar tranche of the unsecured term loan. Translation to U.S. dollars is based on exchange rate of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD as of March 31, 2015 and $0.75 to 1.00 SGD as of December 31, 2014.
	-3

Fair_Value_Of_Instruments_Tabl

Fair Value Of Instruments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Estimated Fair Value And Carrying Amounts	As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the aggregate estimated fair value and carrying value of our global revolving credit facility, unsecured term loan, unsecured senior notes, exchangeable senior debentures and mortgage loans were as follows (in thousands):
		Categorization	As of March 31, 2015				As of December 31, 2014
		under the fair value
		hierarchy	Estimated Fair Value		Carrying Value		Estimated Fair Value		Carrying Value
	Global revolving credit facility (1)	Level 2	$	826,906	$	826,906	$	525,951	$	525,951
	Unsecured term loan (2)	Level 2	942,006		942,006		976,600		976,600
	Unsecured senior notes (3)(4)	Level 2	2,894,846		2,672,472		2,968,073		2,791,758
	Mortgage loans (3)	Level 2	397,050		376,527		399,569		378,818
			$	5,060,808	$	4,817,911	$	4,870,193	$	4,673,127
	-1	The carrying value of our global revolving credit facility approximates estimated fair value, due to the variability of interest rates and the stability of our credit ratings.
	-2	The carrying value of our unsecured term loan approximates estimated fair value, due to the variability of interest rates and the stability of our credit ratings.
	-3	Valuations for our unsecured senior notes and mortgage loans are determined based on the expected future payments discounted at risk-adjusted rates. The 2015 Notes, 2020 Notes, 2021 Notes, 2022 Notes, 2023 Notes and 2025 Notes are valued based on quoted market prices.
	-4	The carrying value of the 2015 Notes, 2020 Notes, 2021 Notes, 2022 Notes, 2023 Notes and 2025 Notes are net of discount of $14,788 and $15,632 in the aggregate as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

Organization_And_Description_O1

Organization And Description Of Business (Narrative) (Details)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
	property	property
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Number of properties owned	130
Common Interest
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Ownership percentage in the Operating Partnership	97.90%
Preferred Interest
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Ownership percentage in the Operating Partnership	100.00%
Joint Ventures
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Number of properties held as investments in unconsolidated joint ventures	14
North America
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Number of properties owned	104
Europe
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Number of properties owned	21
Australia
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Number of properties owned	3
Asia
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Number of properties owned	2
Held-for-sale
Organization and Description of Business [Line Items]
Number of properties	2	5

Summary_Of_Significant_Account2

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
	segment
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Period in which short-term investment become cash equivalents	90 days
Interest capitalized	$4,300,000	$5,300,000
Compensation costs, leasing and construction activities	12,300,000	11,400,000
Cash flows from capitalized leasing costs	13,700,000	9,600,000
Number of reportable segments	1
Total operating revenues	406,609,000	390,590,000
Other Expense
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Construction management expense reclassified to other expense	200,000
United States
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Total operating revenues	314,700,000	295,200,000
Long-lived assets	5,500,000,000		5,400,000,000
Outside The United States
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Total operating revenues	92,000,000	95,400,000
Long-lived assets	2,600,000,000		2,700,000,000
United Kingdom
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Total operating revenues	50,000,000	54,900,000
Long-lived assets	$1,700,000,000		1,700,000,000
Sales
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Concentration risk	12.30%	14.10%
Long-Lived Assets
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Concentration risk	20.70%		21.30%

Investments_In_Real_Estate_Nar

Investments In Real Estate (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	7-May-15
			property
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Impairment of investments in real estate		$126,500,000
Assets	9,408,426,000	9,526,784,000
Total liabilities	5,550,565,000	5,612,546,000
Consideration received on sale of property	45,300,000
Net gain on sale of discontinued operation	17,800,000
Midwest and Northeast Regions
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Number of properties		5
Held-for-sale
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Number of properties	2	5
Assets	81,700,000	120,500,000
Total liabilities	3,200,000	5,800,000
Number of properties sold	2
Number of properties reclassified	1
Catch up depreciation	300,000
Held-for-sale | Assets Identified for Disposal Subsequent to First Quarter 2015
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Assets	15,600,000
Total liabilities	$300,000
Held-for-sale | Subsequent Event | Assets Identified for Disposal Subsequent to First Quarter 2015
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Number of properties			1
Fiscal Year-End 2014 Identified Properties for Disposal
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Number of properties	3

Investment_In_Unconsolidated_J2

Investment In Unconsolidated Joint Ventures (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 05, 2014	Sep. 09, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
	joint_venture
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures	103,475,000				$94,729,000
2001 Sixth Avenue
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage in joint ventures	50.00%
Number of joint ventures	3
33 Chun Choi Street (Hong Kong)
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage in joint ventures	20.00%
Prudential
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Number of joint ventures	2
Number of properties	10
Realized gain		164,800,000
636 Pierce Street
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Gross Value		40,400,000
Property subject to debt		26,100,000
Proceeds received from contribution of property		11,400,000
Share of net assets less book value percentage		80.00%
Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures		14,300,000
Balance as of March 31, 2015		23,000,000
Net proceeds from joint venture		17,500,000
Realized gain		1,900,000
43915 Devin Shafron Drive
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage in joint ventures			20.00%
Number of properties	1
Gross Value			185,500,000
Share of net assets less book value percentage			80.00%	80.00%
Transaction costs			2,100,000
43915 Devin Shafron Drive | Secured Debt
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Proceeds received from contribution of property			167,500,000
Realized gain				93,500,000
Senior face amount			102,000,000
Debt instrument, term			5 years
Investment, loan to value ratio			55.00%
Number of extension options	2
Debt instrument, extension term	1 year
Interest rate basis spread			2.25%
43915 Devin Shafron Drive | Secured Debt | Interest Rate Swap
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Senior face amount			$51,000,000

Investment_In_Unconsolidated_J3

Investment In Unconsolidated Joint Ventures (Summary Of Financial Information For Joint Ventures) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Net investment in properties	$773,457		$779,752
Total assets	949,576		942,107
Debt	461,153		461,548
Total liabilities	566,483		569,895
Equity (deficit)	383,093		372,212
Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures	103,475		94,729
Revenues	31,850	21,919
Property operating expense	-8,175	-5,009
Net operating income	23,675	16,910
Net income (loss)	10,026	5,894
Investment in and share of net income (loss)	$4,618	$2,581

Acquired_Intangible_Assets_And2

Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization of below market leases	$2,300,000	$2,800,000
Expected average remaining lives of acquired below market leases	2201 days
Amortization of intangible assets	17,379,000	19,478,000
Acquired Above-Market Lease Value
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Expected average remaining lives	1345 days
Acquired-In Place Lease Value
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Expected average remaining lives	2152 days
Amortization of intangible assets	$11,600,000	$15,100,000
Weighted average remaining contractual life for acquired leases excluding renewals or extensions	1694 days

Acquired_Intangible_Assets_And3

Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities (Summary Of Acquired Intangible Assets) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net	$211,194
Below-market lease, gross amount	278,360	282,670
Below-market lease, accumulated amortization	-181,126	-178,435
Below-market lease, net	97,234	104,235
Acquired-In Place Lease Value
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross amount	674,243	680,419
Accumulated amortization	-463,049	-452,739
Net	211,194	227,680
Acquired Above-Market Lease Value
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross amount	122,301	126,677
Accumulated amortization	-87,544	-88,072
Net	$34,757	$38,605

Acquired_Intangible_Assets_And4

Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities (Schedule Of Estimated Annual Amortization Of Below Market Leases) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Below-market lease, net	$97,234	$104,235
Below-Market Leases, Net of Above-Market Leases
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Below-market leases, Remainder of 2015	6,693
Below-market leases, 2016	7,579
Below-market leases, 2017	6,182
Below-market leases, 2018	4,574
Below-market leases, 2019	4,632
Below-market leases, Thereafter	32,817
Below-market lease, net	$62,477

Acquired_Intangible_Assets_And5

Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities (Schedule Of Estimated Annual Amortization Of Acquired In Place Leases) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Acquired Intangible Assets And Liabilities [Abstract]
Remainder of 2015	$28,812
2016	31,822
2017	27,223
2018	24,904
2019	22,416
Thereafter	76,017
Net	$211,194

Debt_of_the_Company_Details

Debt of the Company (Details) (Senior Notes:)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
4.50% notes due 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.50%
Maturity date	2015
5.875% notes due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.88%
Maturity date	2020
5.25% notes due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.25%
Maturity date	2021
3.625% notes due 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	3.63%
Maturity date	2022
4.75% notes due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.75%
Maturity date	2023
4.25% notes due 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.25%
Maturity date	2025

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners2

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Summary of Outstanding Indebtedness) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015		Apr. 24, 2015	Apr. 23, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
	extension
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unsecured senior notes, net of discount	$2,672,472				$2,791,758
Senior Notes: | 4.50% notes due 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.50%
Senior Notes: | 5.875% notes due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.88%
Senior Notes: | 5.25% notes due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.25%
Senior Notes: | 3.625% notes due 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	3.63%
Senior Notes: | 4.75% notes due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.75%
Senior Notes: | 4.25% notes due 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.25%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal	4,832,153
Unamortized discounts	-14,788
Unsecured senior notes, net of discount	2,672,472				2,791,758
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | GBP
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	1.48				1.56
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Date	3-Nov-17
Balance as of March 31, 2015	826,906	[1],[2]			525,951	[1],[2]
Subtotal	826,906	[3]
Unamortized discounts	0	[3]
Number of extension options	2
Debt instrument, extension term	6 months
Facility fee	0.20%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | GBP
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	1.48				1.56
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	819,906	[4]			514,951	[4]
Interest rate basis spread	1.10%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | Floating Rate | GBP
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	125,360	[4],[5]			132,716	[4]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Date	16-Apr-17
Balance as of March 31, 2015	942,006	[6]			976,600	[6]
Subtotal	942,006	[3]
Unamortized discounts	0	[3]
Number of extension options	2
Debt instrument, extension term	6 months
Interest rate basis spread	1.20%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | GBP
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	179,187	[7]			188,365	[8]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of extension options	2
Debt instrument, extension term	6 months
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Prudential Shelf Facility:
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal	75,000				142,000
Unamortized discounts	0
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Prudential Shelf Facility: | Series C
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	9.68%
Maturity Date	6-Jan-16
Subtotal	25,000				25,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Prudential Shelf Facility: | Series D
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.57%
Maturity Date	20-Jan-15
Subtotal	0	[9]			50,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Prudential Shelf Facility: | Series E
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.73%
Maturity Date	20-Jan-17
Subtotal	50,000				50,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Prudential Shelf Facility: | Series F
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.50%
Maturity Date	3-Feb-15
Subtotal	0	[9]			17,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Senior Notes:
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subtotal	2,612,260
Unamortized discounts	-14,788				-15,632
Unsecured senior notes, net of discount	2,597,472				2,649,758
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Senior Notes: | 4.50% notes due 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.50%
Maturity Date	15-Jul-15	[10]
Subtotal	375,000				375,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Senior Notes: | 4.50% notes due 2015 | Subsequent Event
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redemption price			100.00%	100.00%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Senior Notes: | 5.875% notes due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.88%
Maturity Date	1-Feb-20
Subtotal	500,000				500,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Senior Notes: | 5.25% notes due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.25%
Maturity Date	15-Mar-21
Subtotal	400,000				400,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Senior Notes: | 3.625% notes due 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	3.63%
Maturity Date	1-Oct-22
Subtotal	300,000				300,000
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Senior Notes: | 4.75% notes due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.75%
Maturity Date	13-Oct-23
Subtotal	444,540	[11]			467,310	[11]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Senior Notes: | 4.25% notes due 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.25%
Maturity Date	17-Jan-25
Subtotal	$592,720	[11]			$623,080	[11]
[1]	The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
[2]	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):Denomination of DrawBalance as of March 31, 2015 Weighted-averageinterest rateBalance as of December 31, 2014 Weighted-averageinterest rateFloating Rate Borrowing (a)U.S. dollar ($)$317,0001.28%$90,0001.27%British pound sterling (£)125,360(c)1.62% 132,7161.61%Euro (€)140,791(c)1.05%58,071(d)1.13%Australian dollar (AUD)70,061(c)3.35%72,676(d)3.74%Hong Kong dollar (HKD)87,417(c)1.34%79,336(d)1.34%Japanese yen (JPY)13,235(c)1.17%13,201(d)1.17%Singapore dollar (SGD)4,153(c)1.86% 6,565(d)1.64%Canadian dollar (CAD)61,889(c)2.10%62,386(d)2.39%Total$819,906 1.54%$514,951 1.84%Base Rate Borrowing (b) U.S. dollar ($)$7,000 3.35%$11,000 3.35%Total borrowings$826,906 1.55%$525,951 1.87%(a)The interest rates for floating rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.(b)The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.(c)Based on exchange rates of $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00, $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.73 to 1.00 SGD and $0.79 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.(d)Based on exchange rates of $1.21 to €1.00, $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.75 to 1.00 SGD and $0.86 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
[3]	Subject to two six-month extension options exercisable by us. The bank group is obligated to grant the extension options provided we give proper notice, we make certain representations and warranties and no default exists under the global revolving credit facility and the unsecured term loan, as applicable.
[4]	The interest rates for floating rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
[5]	Based on exchange rates of $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00, $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.73 to 1.00 SGD and $0.79 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
[6]	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):Denomination of DrawBalance as of March 31, 2015 Weighted-averageinterest rate Balance as of December 31, 2014 Weighted-averageinterest rate U.S. dollar ($)$410,9051.38%(b)$410,9051.36%(d)Singapore dollar (SGD)166,485(a)1.75%(b)172,426(c)1.45%(d)British pound sterling (£)179,187(a)1.76%188,365(c)1.76%Euro (€)106,773(a)1.19%120,375(c)1.22%Australian dollar (AUD)78,656(a)3.50%84,529(c)3.98%Total$942,006 1.67%(b)$976,6001.66%(d)(a)Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.(b)As of March 31, 2015, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.10% (Singapore dollar) and 1.97% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.(c)Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.(d)As of December 31, 2014, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.01% (Singapore dollar) and 2.00% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
[7]	Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
[8]	Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
[9]	These unsecured senior notes were repaid in full at maturity.
[10]	On April 24, 2015, the operating partnership gave notice of its intention to redeem all of its outstanding 2015 Notes, pursuant to its option under the Indenture governing the 2015 Notes, dated July 8, 2010. The redemption date is May 26, 2015 and the redemption price is 100% of the principal amount of the 2015 Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon up to, but excluding, the redemption date.
[11]	Based on exchange rate of $1.48 to £1.00 as of March 31, 2015 and $1.56 to £1.00 as of December 31, 2014.

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners3

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Mortgage Loans) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	$376,527		$378,818
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	376,527		378,818
Unamortized net premiums	546
Total indebtedness	4,817,911		4,673,127
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized net premiums	546		582
Total indebtedness	376,527		378,818
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 200 Paul Avenue
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.74%	[1]
Maturity Date	8-Oct-15	[1]
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	68,121	[1]	68,665	[1]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 2045 & 2055 Lafayette Street
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.93%	[1]
Maturity Date	6-Feb-17	[1]
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	62,275	[1]	62,563	[1]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 34551 Ardenwood Boulevard 1-4
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.95%	[1]
Maturity Date	11-Nov-16	[1]
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	51,118	[1]	51,339	[1]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 1100 Space Park Drive
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.89%	[1]
Maturity Date	11-Dec-16	[1]
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	51,071	[1]	51,295	[1]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 600 West Seventh Street
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.80%
Maturity Date	15-Mar-16
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	47,379		47,825
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 150 South First Street
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	6.30%	[1]
Maturity Date	6-Feb-17	[1]
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	49,103	[1]	49,316	[1]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 2334 Lundy Place
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	5.96%	[1]
Maturity Date	11-Nov-16	[1]
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	37,179	[1]	37,340	[1]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 8025 North Interstate 35
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	4.09%
Maturity Date	6-Mar-16
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	5,991		6,057
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Mortgage Loans | 731 East Trade Street
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate at March 31, 2015	8.22%
Maturity Date	1-Jul-20
Mortgage loans, net of premiums	$3,744		$3,836
[1]	The respective borrower’s assets and credit are not available to satisfy the debts and other obligations of affiliates or any other person.

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners4

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Outstanding Indebtedness - Global Revolving Credit Facility) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
SGD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.73		0.75
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | GBP
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	1.48		1.56
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | EUR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	1.07		1.21
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | AUD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.76		0.82
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	$826,906	[1],[2]	$525,951	[1],[2]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.55%	[1]	1.87%	[1]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	819,906	[3]	514,951	[3]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.54%	[3]	1.84%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | USD | Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	7,000	[1]	11,000	[1]
Weighted-average interest rate	3.35%	[1]	3.35%	[1]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | USD | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	317,000	[3]	90,000	[3]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.28%	[3]	1.27%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | GBP
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	1.48		1.56
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | GBP | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	125,360	[3],[4]	132,716	[3]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.62%	[3]	1.61%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | EUR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	1.07		1.21
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | EUR | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	140,791	[3],[4]	58,071	[3],[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.05%	[3]	1.13%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | AUD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.76		0.82
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | AUD | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	70,061	[3],[4]	72,676	[3],[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	3.35%	[3]	3.74%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | HKD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.13		0.13
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | HKD | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	87,417	[3],[4]	79,336	[3],[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.34%	[3]	1.34%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | JPY
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.01		0.01
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | JPY | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	13,235	[3],[4]	13,201	[3],[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.17%	[3]	1.17%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | SGD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.73		0.75
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | SGD | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	4,153	[3],[4]	6,565	[3],[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.86%	[3]	1.64%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | CAD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.79		0.86
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Global revolving credit facility | CAD | Floating Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	$61,889	[3],[4]	$62,386	[3],[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	2.10%	[3]	2.39%	[3]
[1]	The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
[2]	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):Denomination of DrawBalance as of March 31, 2015 Weighted-averageinterest rateBalance as of December 31, 2014 Weighted-averageinterest rateFloating Rate Borrowing (a)U.S. dollar ($)$317,0001.28%$90,0001.27%British pound sterling (£)125,360(c)1.62% 132,7161.61%Euro (€)140,791(c)1.05%58,071(d)1.13%Australian dollar (AUD)70,061(c)3.35%72,676(d)3.74%Hong Kong dollar (HKD)87,417(c)1.34%79,336(d)1.34%Japanese yen (JPY)13,235(c)1.17%13,201(d)1.17%Singapore dollar (SGD)4,153(c)1.86% 6,565(d)1.64%Canadian dollar (CAD)61,889(c)2.10%62,386(d)2.39%Total$819,906 1.54%$514,951 1.84%Base Rate Borrowing (b) U.S. dollar ($)$7,000 3.35%$11,000 3.35%Total borrowings$826,906 1.55%$525,951 1.87%(a)The interest rates for floating rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.(b)The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.(c)Based on exchange rates of $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00, $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.73 to 1.00 SGD and $0.79 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.(d)Based on exchange rates of $1.21 to €1.00, $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.75 to 1.00 SGD and $0.86 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.
[3]	The interest rates for floating rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
[4]	Based on exchange rates of $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00, $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.73 to 1.00 SGD and $0.79 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
[5]	Based on exchange rates of $1.21 to €1.00, $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.75 to 1.00 SGD and $0.86 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners5

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Outstanding Indebtedness - Unsecured Term Loan) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
SGD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.73		0.75
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | GBP
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	1.48		1.56
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | EUR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	1.07		1.21
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | AUD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.76		0.82
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	$942,006	[1]	$976,600	[1]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.67%	[2]	1.66%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | Interest Rate Swap
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.97%		2.00%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | USD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	410,905		410,905
Weighted-average interest rate	1.38%	[2]	1.36%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | USD | Interest Rate Swap
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.92%		1.92%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | SGD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	166,485	[4]	172,426	[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.75%	[2]	1.45%	[3]
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | SGD | Interest Rate Swap
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted-average interest rate	2.10%		2.01%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | GBP
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	179,187	[4]	188,365	[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.76%		1.76%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | EUR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	106,773	[4]	120,375	[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	1.19%		1.22%
Digital Realty Trust, L.P. | Unsecured term loan | AUD
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	$78,656	[4]	$84,529	[5]
Weighted-average interest rate	3.50%		3.98%
[1]	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):Denomination of DrawBalance as of March 31, 2015 Weighted-averageinterest rate Balance as of December 31, 2014 Weighted-averageinterest rate U.S. dollar ($)$410,9051.38%(b)$410,9051.36%(d)Singapore dollar (SGD)166,485(a)1.75%(b)172,426(c)1.45%(d)British pound sterling (£)179,187(a)1.76%188,365(c)1.76%Euro (€)106,773(a)1.19%120,375(c)1.22%Australian dollar (AUD)78,656(a)3.50%84,529(c)3.98%Total$942,006 1.67%(b)$976,6001.66%(d)(a)Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.(b)As of March 31, 2015, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.10% (Singapore dollar) and 1.97% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.(c)Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.(d)As of December 31, 2014, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.01% (Singapore dollar) and 2.00% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
[2]	As of March 31, 2015, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.10% (Singapore dollar) and 1.97% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
[3]	As of December 31, 2014, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.01% (Singapore dollar) and 2.00% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
[4]	Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.
[5]	Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners6

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Global Revolving Credit Facility) (Narrative) (Details) (Digital Realty Trust, L.P., USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014		Aug. 15, 2013	Aug. 14, 2013
	extension
Unsecured term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity					$1,000,000,000	$750,000,000
Maturity Date	16-Apr-17
Number of extension options	2
Revolving credit facility commitments extension	6 months
Interest rate basis spread	1.20%
Balance as of March 31, 2015	942,006,000	[1]	976,600,000	[1]
Global revolving credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity					2,000,000,000	1,800,000,000
Maturity Date	3-Nov-17
Number of extension options	2
Revolving credit facility commitments extension	6 months
Base rate percentage	3.35%
Capitalized financing costs related to global revolving facilities	18,000,000
Balance as of March 31, 2015	826,906,000	[2],[3]	525,951,000	[2],[3]
Letter of credit security amount	8,100,000
Global revolving credit facility | Prime Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate basis spread	0.10%
Accordian Feature | Unsecured term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity					1,100,000,000
Accordian Feature | Global revolving credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity					$2,550,000,000
[1]	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):Denomination of DrawBalance as of March 31, 2015 Weighted-averageinterest rate Balance as of December 31, 2014 Weighted-averageinterest rate U.S. dollar ($)$410,9051.38%(b)$410,9051.36%(d)Singapore dollar (SGD)166,485(a)1.75%(b)172,426(c)1.45%(d)British pound sterling (£)179,187(a)1.76%188,365(c)1.76%Euro (€)106,773(a)1.19%120,375(c)1.22%Australian dollar (AUD)78,656(a)3.50%84,529(c)3.98%Total$942,006 1.67%(b)$976,6001.66%(d)(a)Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.(b)As of March 31, 2015, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.10% (Singapore dollar) and 1.97% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.(c)Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.(d)As of December 31, 2014, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.01% (Singapore dollar) and 2.00% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.
[2]	The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.
[3]	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):Denomination of DrawBalance as of March 31, 2015 Weighted-averageinterest rateBalance as of December 31, 2014 Weighted-averageinterest rateFloating Rate Borrowing (a)U.S. dollar ($)$317,0001.28%$90,0001.27%British pound sterling (£)125,360(c)1.62% 132,7161.61%Euro (€)140,791(c)1.05%58,071(d)1.13%Australian dollar (AUD)70,061(c)3.35%72,676(d)3.74%Hong Kong dollar (HKD)87,417(c)1.34%79,336(d)1.34%Japanese yen (JPY)13,235(c)1.17%13,201(d)1.17%Singapore dollar (SGD)4,153(c)1.86% 6,565(d)1.64%Canadian dollar (CAD)61,889(c)2.10%62,386(d)2.39%Total$819,906 1.54%$514,951 1.84%Base Rate Borrowing (b) U.S. dollar ($)$7,000 3.35%$11,000 3.35%Total borrowings$826,906 1.55%$525,951 1.87%(a)The interest rates for floating rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the applicable index plus a margin of 110 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.(b)The interest rates for base rate borrowings under the global revolving credit facility equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus a margin of 10 basis points, which is based on the credit ratings of our long-term debt.(c)Based on exchange rates of $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00, $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.73 to 1.00 SGD and $0.79 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.(d)Based on exchange rates of $1.21 to €1.00, $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, $0.13 to 1.00 HKD, $0.01 to 1.00 JPY, $0.75 to 1.00 SGD and $0.86 to 1.00 CAD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners7

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Unsecured Term Loan) (Narrative) (Details) (Unsecured term loan, Digital Realty Trust, L.P., USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014		Aug. 15, 2013	Aug. 14, 2013
	extension
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity					$1,000,000,000	$750,000,000
Maturity Date	16-Apr-17
Number of extension options	2
Revolving credit facility commitments extension	6 months
Balance as of March 31, 2015	942,006,000	[1]	976,600,000	[1]
Capitalized financing costs	8,400,000
Accordian Feature
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity					$1,100,000,000
[1]	Balances as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows (balances, in thousands):Denomination of DrawBalance as of March 31, 2015 Weighted-averageinterest rate Balance as of December 31, 2014 Weighted-averageinterest rate U.S. dollar ($)$410,9051.38%(b)$410,9051.36%(d)Singapore dollar (SGD)166,485(a)1.75%(b)172,426(c)1.45%(d)British pound sterling (£)179,187(a)1.76%188,365(c)1.76%Euro (€)106,773(a)1.19%120,375(c)1.22%Australian dollar (AUD)78,656(a)3.50%84,529(c)3.98%Total$942,006 1.67%(b)$976,6001.66%(d)(a)Based on exchange rates of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD, $1.48 to £1.00, $1.07 to €1.00 and $0.76 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of March 31, 2015.(b)As of March 31, 2015, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.10% (Singapore dollar) and 1.97% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.(c)Based on exchange rates of $0.75 to 1.00 SGD, $1.56 to £1.00, $1.21 to €1.00 and $0.82 to 1.00 AUD, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.(d)As of December 31, 2014, the weighted-average interest rate reflecting interest rate swaps was 1.92% (U.S. dollar), 2.01% (Singapore dollar) and 2.00% (Total). See Note 14 for further discussion on interest rate swaps.

Debt_of_the_Operating_Partners8

Debt of the Operating Partnership (Schedule Of Debt Maturities And Principal Maturities) (Details) (Digital Realty Trust, L.P., USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
	extension
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Remainder of 2015	$448,237
2016	216,979
2017	1,927,307
2018	593
2019	644
Thereafter	2,238,393
Subtotal	4,832,153
Unamortized discounts	-14,788
Unamortized net premiums	546
Total Indebtedness	4,817,911		4,673,127
Global revolving credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Remainder of 2015	0	[1]
2016	0	[1]
2017	826,906	[1]
2018	0	[1]
2019	0	[1]
Thereafter	0	[1]
Subtotal	826,906	[1]
Unamortized discounts	0	[1]
Unamortized net premiums	0	[1]
Total Indebtedness	826,906	[1]
Number of extension options	2
Revolving credit facility commitments extension	6 months
Unsecured term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Remainder of 2015	0	[1]
2016	0	[1]
2017	942,006	[1]
2018	0	[1]
2019	0	[1]
Thereafter	0	[1]
Subtotal	942,006	[1]
Unamortized discounts	0	[1]
Unamortized net premiums	0	[1]
Total Indebtedness	942,006	[1]
Number of extension options	2
Revolving credit facility commitments extension	6 months
Prudential Shelf Facility:
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Remainder of 2015	0
2016	25,000
2017	50,000
2018	0
2019	0
Thereafter	0
Subtotal	75,000		142,000
Unamortized discounts	0
Unamortized net premiums	0
Total Indebtedness	75,000
Senior Notes:
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Remainder of 2015	375,000
2016	0
2017	0
2018	0
2019	0
Thereafter	2,237,260
Subtotal	2,612,260
Unamortized discounts	-14,788		-15,632
Unamortized net premiums	0
Total Indebtedness	2,597,472
Mortgage Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Remainder of 2015	73,237
2016	191,979
2017	108,395
2018	593
2019	644
Thereafter	1,133
Subtotal	375,981
Unamortized discounts	0
Unamortized net premiums	546		582
Total Indebtedness	$376,527		$378,818
[1]	Subject to two six-month extension options exercisable by us. The bank group is obligated to grant the extension options provided we give proper notice, we make certain representations and warranties and no default exists under the global revolving credit facility and the unsecured term loan, as applicable.

Income_per_Share_Summary_Of_Ba

Income per Share (Summary Of Basic And Diluted Earnings Per Share) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share, Basic, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Net income available to common stockholders	$101,728	$34,186
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-basic (shares)	135,704,525	128,535,995
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-diluted (shares)	136,128,800	129,136,961
Basic ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.27
Diluted ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.26
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Earnings Per Share, Basic, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Net income available to common stockholders	$103,754	$34,879
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-basic (shares)	138,406,993	131,142,664
Stock options (shares)	33,839	51,909
Unvested incentive units	147,874	160,717
Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units (shares)	0	388,340
2014 market performance-based awards (shares)	242,562	0
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-diluted (shares)	138,831,268	131,743,630
Basic ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.27
Diluted ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.26

Income_per_Share_Schedule_Of_A

Income per Share (Schedule Of Antidilutive Securities Excluded From Computation Of Earnings Per Share) (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	19,272,859	23,606,308
Weighted average of Operating Partnership common units not owned by Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (shares)	2,702,468	2,606,669

Income_per_Unit_Summary_Of_Bas

Income per Unit (Summary Of Basic And Diluted Earnings Per Share) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Net income available to common unitholders	$101,728	$34,186
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-basic (shares)	135,704,525	128,535,995
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-diluted (shares)	136,128,800	129,136,961
Basic ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.27
Diluted ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.26
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Net income available to common unitholders	$103,754	$34,879
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-basic (shares)	138,406,993	131,142,664
Stock options (units)	33,839	51,909
Unvested incentive units	147,874	160,717
Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units	0	388,340
2014 market performance-based awards (units)	242,562	0
Weighted average shares/units outstanding-diluted (shares)	138,831,268	131,743,630
Basic ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.27
Diluted ($ per share/unit)	$0.75	$0.26

Income_per_Unit_Schedule_Of_An

Income per Unit (Schedule Of Antidilutive Securities Excluded From Computation Of Earnings Per Share) (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (units)	19,272,859	23,606,308
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (units)	16,570,391	20,999,639
Potentially dilutive 2029 Debentures | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (units)	0	6,806,254
Series E Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (units)	4,392,889	5,674,269
Series F Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (units)	2,785,960	3,598,608
Series G Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (units)	3,809,345	4,920,508
Series H Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Potentially dilutive securities (units)	5,582,197	0

Income_Taxes_Details

Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income distributed	100.00%
Net deferred tax liability	$130.80

Equity_And_Accumulated_Other_C2

Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net (Equity Distribution Agreements) (Narrative) (Details) (2011 Equity Distribution Agreements, USD $)	3 Months Ended
Share data in Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Jun. 29, 2011
2011 Equity Distribution Agreements
Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Aggregate offering price of the distribution agreement maximum		$400,000,000
Net proceeds from sale of common stock	342,700,000
Issuance of common shares (shares)	5.7
Equity distribution agreements at an average price ($ per share)	$60.35
Payment of commissions to sales agents	3,500,000
Aggregate offering price remaining available for offer and sale	$53,800,000

Equity_And_Accumulated_Other_C3

Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net (Ownership Interest In The Operating Partnership) (Details)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Partners' capital account units	135,793,668	135,626,255
Percentage of total	97.90%	97.80%
Common units held by third parties
Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Common units held by third parties	1,425,314	1,463,814
Percentage of total	1.00%	1.10%
Incentive Units Held By Employees And Directors
Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Incentive units held by employees and directors	1,499,397	1,549,847
Percentage of total	1.10%	1.10%
Noncontrolling Interests in Operating Partnership
Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Partners' capital account units	138,718,379	138,639,916
Percentage of total	100.00%	100.00%

Equity_And_Accumulated_Other_C4

Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net (Summary Of Activity For Noncontrolling Interests In The Operating Partnership) (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Common and Incentive Unit Activity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	3,013,661
Redemption of common units for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock	-38,500	[1]
Conversion of incentive units held by employees and directors for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock	-40,774	[1]
Cancellation of incentive units held by employees and directors	-11,549
Grant of incentive units to employees and directors	1,873
Ending balance	2,924,711
Common Units
Common and Incentive Unit Activity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	1,463,814
Redemption of common units for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock	-38,500	[1]
Conversion of incentive units held by employees and directors for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock	0	[1]
Cancellation of incentive units held by employees and directors	0
Grant of incentive units to employees and directors	0
Ending balance	1,425,314
Incentive Units
Common and Incentive Unit Activity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	1,549,847
Redemption of common units for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock	0	[1]
Conversion of incentive units held by employees and directors for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock	-40,774	[1]
Cancellation of incentive units held by employees and directors	-11,549
Grant of incentive units to employees and directors	1,873
Ending balance	1,499,397
[1]	This redemption was recorded as a reduction to noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership and an increase to common stock and additional paid in capital based on the book value per unit in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

Equity_And_Accumulated_Other_C5

Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net (Schedule Of Dividends/Distributions) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Installment 1 FY2015
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Date dividend/distribution declared	25-Feb-15
Dividend/Distribution payment date	31-Mar-15
Series E Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend per share amount	1.75
Series E Preferred Units | Installment 1 FY2015
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred stock	5,031,000
Series F Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend per share amount	1.65625
Series F Preferred Units | Installment 1 FY2015
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred stock	3,023,000
Series G Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend per share amount	1.46875
Series G Preferred Units | Installment 1 FY2015
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred stock	3,672,000
Series H Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend per share amount	1.84375
Series H Preferred Units | Installment 1 FY2015
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred stock	6,730,000
Common Stock
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Common stock dividend per share amount	3.4
Common Stock | Installment 1 FY2015
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, common units	115,419,000

Equity_And_Accumulated_Other_C6

Equity And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net (Schedule Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, Net) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	($45,046)
Net current period change	-47,318
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	802
Balance as of March 31, 2015	-91,562
Foreign currency translation adjustments
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	-39,567
Net current period change	-44,948	[1]
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	0
Balance as of March 31, 2015	-84,515
Cash flow hedge adjustments
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	-5,479
Net current period change	-2,370
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	802
Balance as of March 31, 2015	($7,047)
[1]	During the first three months of 2015, the U.S. dollar was generally stronger against the other currencies in which we transact business, primarily the Euro and British pound sterling.

Capital_And_Accumulated_Other_2

Capital And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Partnership Units) (Narrative) (Details) (Digital Realty Trust, L.P., USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Capital and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Redemption value of common units	$182.30	$179

Capital_And_Accumulated_Other_3

Capital And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Schedule Of Dividends/Distributions) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Series E Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend per share amount	$1.75
Series F Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend per share amount	$1.66
Series G Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend per share amount	$1.47
Series H Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend per share amount	$1.84
Installment 1 FY2015
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Date dividend/distribution declared	25-Feb-15
Dividend/Distribution payment date	31-Mar-15
Installment 1 FY2015 | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Date dividend/distribution declared	25-Feb-15
Dividend/Distribution payment date	31-Mar-15
Installment 1 FY2015 | Series E Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	$5,031,000
Installment 1 FY2015 | Series E Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	5,031,000
Installment 1 FY2015 | Series F Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	3,023,000
Installment 1 FY2015 | Series F Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	3,023,000
Installment 1 FY2015 | Series G Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	3,672,000
Installment 1 FY2015 | Series G Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	3,672,000
Installment 1 FY2015 | Series H Preferred Units
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	6,730,000
Installment 1 FY2015 | Series H Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	6,730,000
Installment 1 FY2015 | Common Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, common stock/units	117,896,000
Installment3 Fy2014 | Series E Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	1.75
Installment3 Fy2014 | Series F Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	1.656
Installment3 Fy2014 | Series G Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	1.469
Installment3 Fy2014 | Series H Preferred Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, preferred units	1.844
Installment3 Fy2014 | Common Units | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividends/Distributions, common stock/units	$3.40

Capital_And_Accumulated_Other_4

Capital And Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Schedule Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	($45,046)
Net current period change	-47,318
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	802
Balance as of March 31, 2015	-91,562
Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	-48,433
Net current period change	-48,260
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	818
Balance as of March 31, 2015	-95,875
Foreign currency translation adjustments
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	-39,567
Net current period change	-44,948	[1]
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	0
Balance as of March 31, 2015	-84,515
Foreign currency translation adjustments | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	-42,138
Net current period change	-45,843	[1]
Balance as of March 31, 2015	-87,981
Cash flow hedge adjustments
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	-5,479
Net current period change	-2,370
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	802
Balance as of March 31, 2015	-7,047
Cash flow hedge adjustments | Digital Realty Trust, L.P.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance as of December 31, 2014	-6,295
Net current period change	-2,417
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	818
Balance as of March 31, 2015	($7,894)
[1]	During the first three months of 2015, the U.S. dollar was generally stronger against the other currencies in which we transact business, primarily the Euro and British pound sterling.

Incentive_Plan_Narrative_Detai

Incentive Plan (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	2-May-07	Mar. 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Maximum number of shares granted per employee	1,500,000
Maximum amount of cash paid per employee	$10
2004 Incentive Award Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares authorized and reserved for issuance under the "Incentive Plan"		4,474,102
Amended And Restated 2004 Incentive Award Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares authorized and reserved for issuance under the "Incentive Plan"	9,474,102
Increase in number of shares reserved for issuance	5,000,000
2014 Incentive Award Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares remaining for issuance under the "Incentive Plan"		4,853,662

Incentive_Plan_LongTerm_Incent

Incentive Plan (Long-Term Incentive Units) (Narrative) (Details) (Long-Term Incentive Units, USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Long-Term Incentive Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting period	4 years
Share/unit compensation expense	$1.30	$7.80
Capitalized expense related to construction and leasing activities	0.9	0.5
Unearned compensation	$6.60		$9.30
Unearned compensation, period of recognition	660 days

Incentive_Plan_Summary_Of_Long

Incentive Plan (Summary Of Long-Term Incentive Units) (Details) (Long-Term Incentive Units, USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Long-Term Incentive Units
Long-Term Incentive Unit Activity [Roll Forward]
Unvested Shares, beginning of period, Shares	314,415
Unvested Shares, Granted, Shares	1,873
Unvested Shares, Vested, Shares	-143,775
Unvested Shares, Cancelled or expired, Shares	-11,549
Unvested Shares, end of period, Shares	160,964
Unvested Shares, beginning of period, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$59.34
Unvested Shares, Granted, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$66.75
Unvested Shares, Vested, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$59.83
Unvested Shares, Cancelled or expired, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$57.37
Unvested Shares, beginning of period, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$59.13

Incentive_Plan_Performance_Bas

Incentive Plan (Performance Based Awards) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
	simulation
2014 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage	0.00%
Award vesting period	3 years
Number of trials	100,000
Expected volatility rate	33.00%
Risk-free interest rate	0.67%
Fair value of awards	$30.90
Requisite service period of share-based award	4 years
Unearned compensation	21		9.5
Recognized compensation expense	1.2	0.4
Capitalized expense related to construction and leasing activities	$0.40	$0.20
2014 Performance Grant | Class D Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of awards to executive officers and other employees (shares/units)	1,019,952
2014 Performance Grant | Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of awards to executive officers and other employees (shares/units)	368,878
2014 Performance Grant | Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Four
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage	50.00%
2014 Performance Grant | Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Fifth
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage	50.00%
2015 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected volatility rate	24.00%
Risk-free interest rate	1.00%

Incentive_Plan_Market_Performa

Incentive Plan (Market Performance Based Awards) (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
2014 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Market Performance Vesting Percentage	0.00%
RMS Relative Market Performance	0.00%
2015 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
RMS Relative Market Performance	-3.00%
Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche One | 2014 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Market Performance Vesting Percentage	25.00%
RMS Relative Market Performance	0.00%
Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche One | 2015 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
RMS Relative Market Performance	-3.00%
Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Two | 2014 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Market Performance Vesting Percentage	50.00%
RMS Relative Market Performance	3.25%
Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Two | 2015 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
RMS Relative Market Performance	1.00%
Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Three | 2014 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Market Performance Vesting Percentage	100.00%
RMS Relative Market Performance	6.50%
Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Three | 2015 Performance Grant
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
RMS Relative Market Performance	5.00%

Incentive_Plan_Summary_Of_Ince

Incentive Plan (Summary Of Incentive Award Plan's Stock Option) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]
Options outstanding, beginning of period, Shares	80,933
Exercised, Shares	-8,001
Options outstanding, end of period, Shares	72,932
Exercisable, end of period, Shares	72,932
Options outstanding, beginning of period, Weighted average exercise price ($ per share)	$37.25
Exercised, Weighted average exercise price ($ per share)	$41.73
Options outstanding, end of period, Weighted average exercise price ($ per share)	$36.76
Exercisable, end of period, Weighted average exercise price ($ per share)	$36.76

Incentive_Plan_Summary_Of_Stoc

Incentive Plan (Summary Of Stock Options Outstanding And Exercisable) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Number outstanding (shares)	72,932	80,933
Weighted-average remaining contractual life (years)	1 year 272 days
Weighted average exercise price, Outstanding ($ per share)	$36.76
Aggregate intrinsic value	$2,129,660
$20.37-20.37
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Exercise price, lower limit	$20.37
Exercise price, upper limit	$20.37
Number outstanding (shares)	15,000
Weighted-average remaining contractual life (years)	0 years 221 days
Weighted average exercise price, Outstanding ($ per share)	$20.37
Aggregate intrinsic value	683,850
$33.18-41.73
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Exercise price, lower limit	$33.18
Exercise price, upper limit	$41.73
Number outstanding (shares)	57,932
Weighted-average remaining contractual life (years)	2 years 18 days
Weighted average exercise price, Outstanding ($ per share)	$41
Aggregate intrinsic value	$1,445,810

Incentive_Plan_Restricted_Stoc

Incentive Plan (Restricted Stock) (Narrative) (Details) (Restricted Stock, USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Restricted stock expense	$0.50	$0.80
Capitalized expense related to construction and leasing activities	0.7	0.8
Unearned compensation	$15		$10.40
Unearned compensation, period of recognition	1091 days
Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting period	3 years
Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting period	4 years

Incentive_Plan_Summary_Of_Rest

Incentive Plan (Summary Of Restricted Stock Activity) (Details) (Restricted Stock, USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Restricted Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Unvested Shares, beginning of period, Shares	301,615
Unvested Shares, Granted, Shares	99,681
Unvested Shares, Vested, Shares	-85,286
Unvested Shares, Cancelled or expired, Shares	-19,543
Unvested Shares, end of period, Shares	296,467
Unvested Shares, beginning of period, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$58.40
Unvested Shares, Granted, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$66.75
Unvested Shares, Vested, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$59.29
Unvested Shares, Cancelled or expired, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$58.70
Unvested Shares, beginning of period, Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value ($ per share)	$60.93

Derivative_Instruments_Details

Derivative Instruments (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015		Mar. 31, 2014	Jan. 13, 2015	Jan. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$548,975,000					$703,870,000
Fair Value at Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)	402,000					-2,409,000
Interest Expense	45,466,000		47,374,000
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Cash flow hedge adjustments
Derivative [Line Items]
Interest Expense	2,100,000
Cash Flow Hedging | Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative [Line Items]
Term of contract					5 years
Loss on hedge						1,600,000
Cash settlement				5,700,000
SGD
Derivative [Line Items]
Exchange rate	0.73					0.75
Currently-paying contracts
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	548,975,000					553,870,000
Fair Value at Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)	402,000					428,000
Currently-paying contracts | Swap 1
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	410,905,000	[1]				410,905,000	[1]
Type of Derivative	Swap
Strike Rate	0.72%
Fair Value at Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)	-1,145,000					-241,000
Currently-paying contracts | Swap 2
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	138,070,000	[2]				142,965,000	[2]
Type of Derivative	Swap
Strike Rate	0.93%
Effective Date	17-Jul-12
Expiration Date	18-Apr-17
Fair Value at Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)	1,547,000					669,000
Forward-starting contracts
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	0	[3]			150,000,000
Type of Derivative	Forward-starting Swap
Strike Rate	2.09%
Effective Date	15-Jul-14
Expiration Date	15-Jul-19
Fair Value at Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)	$0					($2,837,000)
[1]	Represents the U.S. dollar tranche of the unsecured term loan.
[2]	Represents a portion of the Singapore dollar tranche of the unsecured term loan. Translation to U.S. dollars is based on exchange rate of $0.73 to 1.00 SGD as of March 31, 2015 and $0.75 to 1.00 SGD as of December 31, 2014.
[3]	In January 2014, we entered into a forward-starting five-year swap contract to protect against adverse fluctuations in interest rates by reducing our exposure to variability in cash flows relating to interest payments on a forecasted issuance of debt. The accrual period of the swap contract was designed to match the tenor of the planned debt issuance. In the fourth quarter of 2014, changes in the forecasted transaction resulted in the discontinuation of cash flow hedge accounting. As such, changes in the fair value of the forward starting swap were recognized in earnings, within the other income (expense) line item. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the total net loss recognized on the forward starting swap was approximately $1.6 million, and on January 13, 2015, we cash settled the forward starting swap for approximately $5.7 million, including accrued interest.

Fair_Value_Of_Instruments_Esti

Fair Value Of Instruments (Estimated Fair Value And Carrying Amounts) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Unsecured senior notes	$2,894,846	[1],[2]	$2,968,073	[1],[2]
Mortgage Loans	397,050	[2]	399,569	[2]
Long-term Debt, Fair Value	5,060,808		4,870,193
Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Unsecured senior notes	2,672,472	[1],[2]	2,791,758	[1],[2]
Mortgage Loans	376,527	[2]	378,818	[2]
Long-term Debt, Fair Value	4,817,911		4,673,127
Global revolving credit facility | Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	826,906	[3]	525,951	[3]
Global revolving credit facility | Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	826,906	[3]	525,951	[3]
Unsecured term loan | Estimated Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	942,006	[4]	976,600	[4]
Unsecured term loan | Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Lines of credit	942,006	[4]	976,600	[4]
Senior Notes:
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Fair Value	$14,788		$15,632
[1]	The carrying value of the 2015 Notes, 2020 Notes, 2021 Notes, 2022 Notes, 2023 Notes and 2025 Notes are net of discount of $14,788 and $15,632 in the aggregate as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.
[2]	Valuations for our unsecured senior notes and mortgage loans are determined based on the expected future payments discounted at risk-adjusted rates. The 2015 Notes, 2020 Notes, 2021 Notes, 2022 Notes, 2023 Notes and 2025 Notes are valued based on quoted market prices.
[3]	The carrying value of our global revolving credit facility approximates estimated fair value, due to the variability of interest rates and the stability of our credit ratings.
[4]	The carrying value of our unsecured term loan approximates estimated fair value, due to the variability of interest rates and the stability of our credit ratings.

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Details)

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Jul. 11, 2012

Jul. 11, 2012

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

USD ($)

GBP (£)

USD ($)

USD ($)

Sentrum Portfolio

Sentrum Portfolio

Sentrum Portfolio

Sentrum Portfolio

29 A International Business Park

29 A International Business Park

29 A International Business Park

Convergence Business Park

USD ($)

GBP (£)

USD ($)

GBP (£)

USD ($)

SGD

USD ($)

USD ($)

Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]

Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities

$523,948,000

$605,923,000

$12,400,000

Additional performance based consideration earned (maximum)

36,400,000

50,000,000

Expiration of earnout contingency

Nov-20

Nov-20

Lease expiration period

Apr-17

Sale price of building

24,000,000

Contingent liability

2,100,000

1,400,000

87,600,000

56,500,000

Real estate price, per square acre

225,000

Reduction in fair value

44,800,000

30,300,000

Change in fair value of contingent consideration

43,034,000

3,403,000

Commitments related to construction contracts

$124,400,000

Subsequent_Events_Schedule_Of_

Subsequent Events (Schedule Of Dividends Declared And Distributions Per Unit) (Details) (Digital Realty Trust, L.P., USD $)	0 Months Ended
	Apr. 24, 2015	Apr. 23, 2015	Apr. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Debt				$4,832,153,000
Senior Notes:
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Debt				2,612,260,000
Senior Notes: | 4.50% notes due 2015
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Debt				375,000,000	375,000,000
Subsequent Event | Senior Notes: | 4.50% notes due 2015
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Redemption price	100.00%	100.00%
833 Chestnut Street | Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Investments			160,800,000
Proceeds			150,000,000
Gain			$77,400,000