Home » Python

Replacement for switch statement in Python

Last Updated : April 22, 2025

Python doesn't provide a built-in switch statement, unlike other programming languages. But you can implement the switch statement by using alternative approaches such as if-else chains, dictionary mapping, or the match statement introduced in Python 3.10.

Switch Case Implement Using If-Else

The if-else can be used to implement a switch-case behavior. By checking the value of a variable and executing the corresponding block of code, you can achieve similar functionality as the switch statement in other languages.

Example

The below example shows the use of if-else to simulate a switch statement:

def day_selection_if_else(day_number):
    if day_number == 1:
        print("Monday")
    elif day_number == 2:
        print("Tuesday")
    elif day_number == 3:
        print("Wednesday")
    elif day_number == 4:
        print("Thursday")
    elif day_number == 5:
        print("Friday")
    elif day_number == 6:
        print("Saturday")
    elif day_number == 7:
        print("Sunday")
    else:
        print("Invalid day")

# Calling the function with the day number 2
day_selection_if_else(2)

Output of the above example will be:

Tuesday

Switch Case Implement Using Dictionary Mapping

Another efficient way to simulate a switch statement is by using a dictionary, where keys represent case values and values represent the actions (or functions) associated with each case.

Example

The below example shows how to implement switch-case logic with dictionary mapping:

def month(i):
	switch={
		1:'January',
		2:'February',
		3:'March',
		4:'April',
		5:'May',
		6:'June',
		7:'July',
		8:'August',
		9:'September',
		10:'October',
		11:'November',
		12:'December'
	}
	return switch.get(i, "Invalid month")

# printing
print(month(12))
print(month(13))

Output of the above example will be:

December
Invalid month

Switch Case in Python (Python 3.10 and After)

Starting from Python version 3.10, a new feature called Pattern Matching was introduced, that can be used to perform switch-case logic.

Example

The below example shows how to implement the switch-case logic using match in Python 3.10:

def day_selection(day_number):
    match day_number:
        case 1:
            print("Monday")
        case 2:
            print("Tuesday")
        case 3:
            print("Wednesday")
        case 4:
            print("Thursday")
        case 5:
            print("Friday")
        case 6:
            print("Saturday")
        case 7:
            print("Sunday")
        case _:
            print("Invalid day")

# Calling the function with the day number 3
day_selection(3)

Output of the above example will be:

Wednesday

Python Switch Statement (Replacement) Exercise

Select the correct option to complete each statement about replacing the switch statement in Python.

1. Python does not have a built-in ___ statement like other languages, but you can use if-elif statements as a replacement. --Select-- switch case if-else
2. To simulate a switch-case structure in Python, you can also use a dictionary with keys as ___ values. --Select-- keys values expressions
3. In Python, a common practice for replacing a switch statement is to use the ___ construct, where different expressions are mapped to corresponding values. --Select-- if-else dictionary list

Check Answers