Torrential rainfall and flooding in Asia during September caused more than $7.5 billion in economic damages, according to a new report released Thursday by Aon Benfield.

The brunt of the damage was sustained by China, where two separate flood events caused $151 million in economic damages and damaged or destroyed at least 38,700 homes and other structures, the reinsurance brokerage unit of London-based Aon P.L.C. said in the report, “September 2012 Global Catastrophe Recap.”

China also was hit with two 5.6-magnitude earthquakes in September, with economic losses listed at $1.15 billion. The China Insurance Regulatory Commission noted insured losses from the quakes at $48 million, Aon Benfield said in the report.

In Pakistan, heavy rains and flooding damaged or destroyed 407,138 homes, 1.1 million acres of crops and damage to agriculture and infrastructure was listed at $2.64 billion, the report said.

Local insurers in the United Kingdom for the month of September reported a 52% increase in storm claims after torrential rainfall and floods across the northern section of the country caused estimated economic damages of $81 million, according to the report, which was published by Impact Forecasting L.L.C., the catastrophe model development unit within Aon Benfield.

The Insurance Compensation Commission in Spain noted that 19,500 property, commercial and auto claims were filed in September, with payouts in excess of $155 million resulting from heavy rainfall and widespread flooding.

In the United States, where two tornadoes touched down in New York and gusting winds caused damage in North Carolina, South Carolina and Maine, estimated economic losses were at $225 billion. Various insurers reported receiving 35,000 claims, paying out more than $125 million, the report said.

“Over the past few years and again in 2012, we have seen flooding emerge as one of the costliest perils across the globe from an economic perspective,” said Steve Jakubowski, president of Impact Forecasting, in a statement accompanying the report. “As insurance and reinsurance penetration continues to increase across Asia, we expect that flood exposures will become a key challenge for the industry.”

The report is available here.