The primary purpose of a histogram is to provide a visual representation of the distribution of a dataset. Histograms display the frequency of data points within specified ranges, known as bins, allowing for an easy interpretation of how values are distributed. By using the height of the bars to represent the frequency of data within each bin, viewers can quickly identify patterns such as central tendencies, variability, and the presence of outliers. Histograms are widely used in statistics to analyze data and make informed decisions based on the displayed trends, facilitating a better understanding of the underlying structure of the data.