What is the purpose of the pass statement in Python?

The pass statement in Python is a placeholder statement that does nothing. It is used as a placeholder in situations where the code requires a statement, but no action is needed. For example, when you want to define an empty function, class, or loop, you can use pass:

def my_function():
    pass

class MyClass:
    pass

for i in range(10):
    pass

In these examples, the pass statement allows the code to syntactically correct, but has no effect on the program's behavior. The purpose of the pass statement is to serve as a placeholder that can be used when the code is not yet complete, or when a code block is required but no action is needed.