UK Flood Statistics: How Many Properties Are At Risk, By Source And By Nation
About 6.3 million properties in England are in areas at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water, according to the Environment Agency. Wales reports 275,000 properties at risk and Scotland 284,000 homes, businesses and services; each nation counts differently.
How Many UK Properties Are At Risk Of Flooding?
No single official UK total exists, because each nation measures flood risk differently. Adding the published national figures gives a rough total of around 6.9 million properties, but the figures use different sources, definitions and dates, so they are not strictly additive.
The official national figures:
| Nation | Properties at risk | What is counted | Publisher and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 6.3 million | Properties in areas at risk from rivers and the sea or surface water | Environment Agency, national assessment (17 December 2024) |
| Wales | 275,000 (approximately 1 in 7 properties in Wales) | Rivers, sea, surface water and small watercourses | Natural Resources Wales, annual report 2024–25 |
| Scotland | 284,000 homes, businesses and services | Rivers, surface water and the sea | SEPA, flood risk management plans |
| Northern Ireland | No comparable published total | — | DfI Rivers publishes flood maps and significant flood risk areas |
Truth range for the UK: about 6.9 million, using England's 6.3 million, Wales's 275,000 and Scotland's 284,000, with Northern Ireland not included. Treat this as an order of magnitude, not a statistic.
Why Do Different Sources Give Different Numbers?
Different sources give different numbers because they count different flood sources, use different thresholds and models, count "properties" differently, and publish in different years. The same question can have several correct answers.
The main reasons, with examples:
- Which sources are counted. England's 6.3 million combines rivers and the sea with surface water; the rivers and sea figure alone is 2.4 million.
- Double counting. A property at risk from two sources appears in both source counts. Wales counts 342,436 before removing overlaps and over 274,000 after.
- What counts as a property. Scotland counts homes, businesses and services together.
- Better data, not more flooding. England's surface water count rose by 43%, and the Environment Agency says this doesn't reflect a real-world increase in risk. It is almost entirely due to improvements in data, modelling and use of technology.
- Different thresholds. SEPA's high likelihood starts at at least 10% chance of flooding each year; England's High band starts at greater than 3.3% (greater than 1 in 30) a year.
- Publication dates. England's figures date from December 2024; Scotland's from its 2021–2027 plans.
Which figure to quote depends on the question. For England's headline, quote 6.3 million with its definition. For a nation-by-nation comparison, state that methods differ.
How Many Properties Are At Risk From Each Source Of Flooding?
In England, about 4.6 million properties are at risk of surface water flooding and 2.4 million from rivers and the sea, according to the Environment Agency. Groundwater susceptibility is given only as a range, and reservoir flooding has no annual chance band.
| Source (England) | Properties at risk | Of which High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface water | 4.6 million | 1,071,800 | Environment Agency, 2024 |
| Rivers and the sea | 2.4 million | 367,900 | Environment Agency, 2024 |
| Groundwater | between 122,000 and 290,000 (susceptible areas) | — | Environment Agency |
| Reservoirs | Mapped as a worst case only | — | Environment Agency |
The band breakdown for rivers and the sea is: High 367,900, Medium 323,300, Low 966,500, Very Low 777,300. For surface water: High 1,071,800, Medium 884,800, Low 2,644,000.
What each source means is explained in surface water flooding, groundwater flooding, reservoir flooding and coastal flooding.
How Many Properties Are At Risk In England, Wales, Scotland And Northern Ireland?
England has by far the most properties at risk, about 6.3 million, followed by Scotland with 284,000 homes, businesses and services and Wales with 275,000 properties. Northern Ireland publishes no comparable total, but designates areas at significant risk.
| Nation | Headline figure | Future projection | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 6.3 million | around 8 million properties by mid-century, about 1 in 4 properties | Flood risk in England |
| Wales | 275,000 | — | Flood risk in Wales |
| Scotland | 284,000 homes, businesses and services | an additional 110,000 homes, businesses and services with climate change | Flood risk in Scotland |
| Northern Ireland | 12 areas as APSFR and 9 areas have been determined as TAPSFR (areas, not properties) | — | Flood risk in Northern Ireland |
Towns ranked by the share of homes at risk are in most flooded towns in the UK.
How Many Flood Warnings Are Issued Each Year?
The number of flood warnings issued each year in England can be counted from the Environment Agency's Historic Flood Warnings dataset, which lists Severe Flood Warnings, Flood Warnings and Flood Alerts issued since the flood warning system went live on January 26th 2006. Counts vary widely with the weather, so single years are poor guides.
For scale in a single event, the Environment Agency's warning service sent over 300,000 messages by email, telephone and text during Storm Babet in October 2023. What each warning level means is in flood warning levels.
How Much Does Flooding Cost The UK?
Major floods in England have cost between about £1 billion and £3 billion each in economic damages, according to Environment Agency studies, and smaller floods between 2016 and 2019 added about £700 million. Costs include damage to homes, businesses, transport and utilities.
| Period or event | Best estimate | Range | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2007 floods | £3.2 billion | £2.5–3.8 billion | England |
| Winter 2013 to 2014 | £1,300 million | £1,000–1,500 million | England and Wales |
| Winter 2015 to 2016 | £1.6 billion | £1.3–1.9 billion | England |
| All floods, Jan 2016–Nov 2019 | £708 million | between £504 million and £924 million | England and Wales |
Other cost measures:
- Insurance. The average claim after Storms Ciara and Dennis in 2020 was £32,000, according to the Environment Agency's national assessment.
- Flood Re. The industry levy that funds Flood Re raises £160m every year, and Flood Re says over 742,000 households have benefited from the scheme since 2016.
- Infrastructure. The national assessment reports 38% of roads and 37% of railways in areas at risk.
The 2007 floods are detailed in the 2007 UK floods, and the full timeline in the worst floods in UK history.
Is UK Flood Risk Increasing?
UK flood risk is expected to increase with climate change, and wet extremes have already become more common, but rising property counts also reflect better data. The Environment Agency projects England's rivers and sea figure rising from 2.4 million to around 3.1 million, which is a 27% increase.
The evidence on both sides:
| Points to rising risk | Points to caution |
|---|---|
| the number of months where counties are recording monthly rainfall totals of at least twice the 1991-2020 monthly average has increased by over 50% compared to the number in 1961-1990 (Met Office) | England's 43% rise in surface water risk doesn't reflect a real-world increase in risk. It is almost entirely due to improvements in data, modelling and use of technology (Environment Agency) |
| For 2015-2024 the winter half-year is now 16% wetter than 1961-1990 for the UK (Met Office) | Peak river flow trends show The claim of increased flooding generally holds up regionally and nationally, although a more complicated picture of spatio-temporal variability is shown (National River Flow Archive) |
| around 8 million properties in England by mid-century (Environment Agency) | Projections depend on the emissions scenario used: 70th percentile from UKCP18, RCP 8.5 |
| By 2100, extreme once-a-century sea-level events are expected to become annual (Environment Agency) | Coastal erosion totals depend on whether Shoreline Management Plans are funded |
| Scotland: an additional 110,000 homes, businesses and services (SEPA) | Methods change between assessments, breaking the series |
Sources (Verified 17 Sep 2026)
| Claim | Source |
|---|---|
| 6.3m; 2.4m; 4.6m; band counts; 43% not real-world; mid-century; 3.1m (27%); climate scenario; roads and rail; Ciara and Dennis claim; once-a-century sea levels | Environment Agency, National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024 |
| Groundwater range | Environment Agency (groundwater.properties_range) |
| Wales 275,000; 1 in 7; 342,436; over 274,000 | Natural Resources Wales, Flood risk management annual report 2024–25 |
| Scotland 284,000; additional 110,000 | SEPA, Flood risk management plans FAQs |
| SEPA high likelihood | SEPA, Flood maps FAQs |
| Northern Ireland APSFR | DfI, Northern Ireland Flood Risk Assessment 2018 |
| Historic flood warnings dataset | Historic Flood Warnings |
| Storm Babet messages | Environment Agency |
| Flood costs 2007, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–19 | 2007 · 2013–14 · 2015–16 · 2016–19 |
| Flood Re levy and households helped | Flood Re |
| Rainfall trends | Met Office |
| Peak flow trends | National River Flow Archive |
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Homes Are At Risk Of Flooding In The UK?
No single UK total is published. England has about 6.3 million properties in areas at risk, Wales 275,000 and Scotland 284,000 homes, businesses and services. Together that is roughly 6.9 million, but the figures are measured differently.
What Is The Most Common Type Of Flooding In England?
By properties at risk, surface water flooding is the largest source in England, with about 4.6 million properties in areas at risk, compared with 2.4 million from rivers and the sea.
Why Did The Number Of Properties At Risk Of Flooding Go Up?
England's surface water figure rose by 43% in the 2024 national assessment. The Environment Agency says this does not reflect a real-world increase in risk and is almost entirely due to improvements in data and modelling.
How Much Did The 2007 Floods Cost?
The Environment Agency's best estimate of the economic cost of the summer 2007 floods in England is £3.2 billion, within a range of £2.5 billion to £3.8 billion.