Switzerland Number Format

Format Rules

What's different here

Swiss number format

Swiss German (de-CH) and Swiss Italian (it-CH) write 1234567.89 as 1'234'567.89: an apostrophe between thousands and a period for decimals, the opposite of Germany. Swiss French (fr-CH) uses the same apostrophe but a comma for decimals: 1'234'567,89. Current CLDR data (version 48 and later) uses the plain apostrophe U+0027. Older runtimes print the curly U+2019, so never hard-code either one.

Read the apostrophe from the locale

const groupChar = (locale) =>
  new Intl.NumberFormat(locale).formatToParts(1234567).find(p => p.type === 'group').value;

groupChar('de-CH') === "'";  // → true
groupChar('fr-CH') === "'";  // → true
groupChar('it-CH') === "'";  // → true

On a CLDR 46/47 runtime (for example Node 20), the first and third lines return false (U+2019), and fr-CH returns U+202F. For typed input, accept every form:

const parseSwiss = (input, decimal) =>
  Number(input.replace(/['\u2019\u202F\u00A0 ]/g, '').replace(decimal, '.'));

parseSwiss("1'234'567.89", '.'); // → 1234567.89
parseSwiss("1’234’567.89", '.'); // → 1234567.89
parseSwiss("1'234'567,89", ','); // → 1234567.89

Pass '.' for de-CH and it-CH. For fr-CH, pass ',' for plain numbers and '.' for CHF amounts (see below).

CHF amounts in de-CH, fr-CH and it-CH

new Intl.NumberFormat('de-CH', { style: 'currency', currency: 'CHF' }).format(1234567.89);
// → "CHF 1'234'567.89"
new Intl.NumberFormat('fr-CH', { style: 'currency', currency: 'CHF' }).format(1234567.89);
// → "1'234'567.89 CHF"
new Intl.NumberFormat('it-CH', { style: 'currency', currency: 'CHF' }).format(1234567.89);
// → "CHF 1'234'567.89"
new Intl.NumberFormat('de-CH', { style: 'currency', currency: 'CHF', currencySign: 'accounting' }).format(-999.5);
// → "CHF-999.50"
new Intl.NumberFormat('fr-CH', { style: 'currency', currency: 'CHF', currencySign: 'accounting' }).format(-999.5);
// → "(999.50 CHF)"

Two things catch people out:

• fr-CH switches decimal marks. Plain numbers use a comma, CHF amounts use a period. That's CLDR data (currencyDecimal in fr_CH.xml), not a typo. Format money with style: 'currency'; don't format a number and glue "CHF" on.
• Accounting negatives differ: parentheses in fr-CH, a minus after the code in de-CH and it-CH.

CHF in data

CHF is the ISO 4217 code for the Swiss franc (numeric 756, minor unit 2), used in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Intl displays it as CHF in all three Swiss locales. Store CHF with every amount.

Coins. The smallest coin in circulation is 5 centimes. The 1-centime coin was withdrawn on 1 January 2007 (Swiss National Bank).

Q&A

What is the Swiss thousands separator?

An apostrophe in de-CH, fr-CH and it-CH. Current CLDR uses U+0027 ('); runtimes on older CLDR data print U+2019 (’), and U+202F for fr-CH. Read it from formatToParts().

Does Switzerland use a comma or a period for decimals?

A period in de-CH and it-CH. fr-CH uses a comma for plain numbers but a period in CHF amounts.

Is it CHF or Fr.?

For formatted output, CHF. That's what Intl prints in every Swiss locale, and it's the ISO code you should store.

Which locales should a Swiss product support?

At least de-CH, fr-CH and it-CH, the three this page covers.

Code Examples

// Basic number
new Intl.NumberFormat('de-CH').format(1234567.89)
// → "1'234'567.89"

// Currency
new Intl.NumberFormat('de-CH', {
  style: 'currency',
  currency: 'CHF'
}).format(1234567.89)
// → "CHF 1'234'567.89"

// Percentage
new Intl.NumberFormat('de-CH', {
  style: 'percent',
  minimumFractionDigits: 1
}).format(0.125)

// Compact notation
new Intl.NumberFormat('de-CH', {
  notation: 'compact'
}).format(1234567)

Negative Number Formats

Edge Cases & Notes