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One in six homes in England are at threat from flooding, as the risks of coastal erosion and flooding increase from climate change.
The Environment Agency today called on the government to increase funding on flood defences to £1bn a year by 2035.
Without such investment, the agency calculated that the annual cost of flood damage on property, infrastructure and businesses will increase to £4bn.
The Environment Agency's report used data from the government's projections of UK climate impacts, published on Thursday.
Across the UK more than 5.2 million properties are already at risk of flooding, it said.
And surface water flooding is a danger to a further 2.8 million properties, the report found.
The highest numbers of properties at risk were found in Lincolnshire, with 23,700 properties in Boston facing a high risk of flooding.
"The latest UK climate change data shows that the risk of flooding and coastal erosion will continue to increase in future due to rising sea levels and more frequent and heavy storms," said Environment Agency chairman Chris Smith.
"There are important decisions for us all to take about how to manage these risks to protect people, communities, businesses and the economy in future."
Environment secretary Hilary Benn said a record level of investment into funding had taken place in recent years, but recognised more must be done to adapt and manage the risks of flooding and erosion.
"We need to make sure that we’re up to that challenge – the floods of summer 2007 were devastating for so many people and we all need to work together to make sure we're as prepared as we can be in the future," Benn stated.
"That's why I'm calling for a national debate on how we meet the challenge, what our priorities should be and, importantly, how the costs should be met."
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