| N-2 - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions | 6 Months Ended | ||||||
| Mar. 31, 2023 | Sep. 30, 2022 | Sep. 30, 2021 | Sep. 30, 2020 | Sep. 30, 2019 | Sep. 30, 2018 | ||
| Cover [Abstract] | |||||||
| Entity Central Index Key | 0001635977 | ||||||
| Amendment Flag | false | ||||||
| Document Type | N-CSRS | ||||||
| Entity Registrant Name | Tekla World Healthcare Fund | ||||||
| Financial Highlights [Abstract] | |||||||
| Senior Securities Amount | $ 120 | $ 120 | $ 120 | $ 120 | $ 120 | $ 120 | |
| Senior Securities Coverage per Unit | $ 4,997 | $ 4,786 | $ 5,714 | $ 4,554 | $ 4,396 | $ 4,861 | |
| General Description of Registrant [Abstract] | |||||||
| Annual Dividend Payment | 0.7 | ||||||
| Share Price | [1] | 13.74 | |||||
| NAV Per Share | [2] | $ 12.64 | |||||
| Latest Premium (Discount) to NAV [Percent] | 8.70% | ||||||
| Capital Stock, Long-Term Debt, and Other Securities [Abstract] | |||||||
| Outstanding Security, Held [Shares] | 37,945,713 | ||||||
| [1]The closing price at which the Fund's shares were traded on the exchange.[2]Per-share dollar value of the Fund, calculated by dividing the total value of all the securities in its portfolio, plus any other assets and less liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. | |||||||
