What type of fingerprint pattern is generally the most common?

The classification of fingerprint patterns is essential in forensic science for identification purposes. Among the types of patterns—arches, loops, whorls, and plastic prints—loops are indeed the most common.

Loops have a unique structure where ridge lines enter from one side of the finger, loop around, and exit from the same side. This characteristic results in a pattern that is prevalent in the population, with studies indicating that approximately 60-65% of the population exhibits loop patterns.

In contrast, while whorls represent about 30-35% of fingerprint patterns and arches are the least common, accounting for approximately 5%, plastic prints refer to impressions left in a soft substance and are not classified as a pattern type but rather an artifact of fingerprinting. Therefore, the prevalence of loops in the general population makes them the most common fingerprint pattern encountered in forensic investigations.