Unexplained wealth order (UWO) laws in force (binary indicator)

Unexplained wealth orders (UWOs)—sometimes called “illicit enrichment,” “unexplained wealth,” or “non‑conviction based (NCB) confiscation with a reversed burden”—are legal tools that allow authorities to require a person to explain the lawful origin of assets that appear disproportionate to their known income. If the explanation is inadequate, the assets may be frozen and/or confiscated through civil or administrative proceedings (depending on the country’s system).

This statistic records, for each jurisdiction, whether national law provides a mechanism broadly consistent with “unexplained wealth/illicit enrichment” style asset recovery powers (as reflected in FATF country assessments and follow-up reports under the FATF Recommendations on confiscation and provisional measures). It is interesting because it highlights how differently countries structure anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering enforcement—and how many still lack a direct legal route to target suspicious wealth when a criminal conviction is difficult.