Fingerprint minutiae distribution shows digit-, region-, and sex-specific patterns in a Liaoning Han Chinese cohort

• First comprehensive ten-print minutiae analysis in a Liaoning Han Chinese cohort. • Strong, specific associations exist between minutiae types and individual fingers. • Core and peripheral fingerprint zones exhibit distinct and consistent minutiae patterns. • Pronounced left–right hand asymmetry in minutiae distribution is documented. • Females have higher minutiae counts with sex-specific feature associations. Population-specific data on fingerprint minutiae are essential for forensic identification and the optimization of biometric systems, yet comprehensive ten-print minutiae datasets for Han Chinese populations remain limited. In this study, rolled fingerprints from all ten digits were collected from 180 healthy Han adults from Liaoning Province, China. Ridge patterns were classified as loops, whorls, or arches, and nine types of minutiae were manually annotated within core and peripheral regions defined by a core-centered ridge radius. Associations among fingerprint patterns, minutiae types, finger identity, anatomical region, hand side, and sex were evaluated using chi-square tests and correspondence analysis. Loops were the most prevalent ridge pattern, followed by whorls, while arches were rare, with significant finger-specific pattern distributions. Minutiae showed pronounced non-random distributions across digits, with ridge endings predominating on thumbs, bifurcations on index and middle fingers, and junctions on ring fingers, alongside clear distinctions between core and peripheral regions. Correspondence analysis further revealed consistent hand-side asymmetries and significant sexual dimorphism, with females exhibiting higher overall minutiae counts and distinct feature associations compared with males. These findings demonstrate that fingerprint minutiae architecture in the Liaoning Han population is structured by digit identity, anatomical region, hand laterality, and sex rather than being randomly distributed. The high-resolution, population-specific data presented here provide an important reference for forensic likelihood ratio estimation, support the development of population-adapted biometric algorithms, and contribute to a deeper understanding of the developmental and biological basis of dermatoglyphic variation.