In C#, garbage collection is a memory management process where the runtime environment automatically identifies and reclaims memory that is no longer in use by the program. It helps prevent memory leaks and ensures efficient memory utilization by tracking and deallocating objects that are no longer reachable or referenced by the program. The .NET runtime provides an automatic garbage collector that runs in the background, making it easier for developers to work with memory without having to explicitly free memory resources like in languages with manual memory management, such as C and C++. This automated process helps improve code safety and reduces the risk of memory-related errors.