The year 2020 was the hottest year recorded across Asia, according to the United Nations ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference(COP26) to be held in Glasgow from Sunday to November 12.

According to the World Meteorological Organization's(WMO) annual "State of the Climate in Asia" report released Tuesday, the mean temperature in 2020 was one-point-39 degrees Celsius higher than the average from 1981 to 2010.

Extreme weather and climate change across the continent caused casualties, with an estimated 50 million people affected by floods and storms, of which more than five-thousand lost their lives.

Countries suffered big economic losses, with China topping the list with an average 238 billion dollars, followed by India with 87 billion dollars. South Korea's losses amounted to 24 billion dollars.

Citing that floods, storms and droughts have had significant impacts in many countries in Asia, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said these impacts take a significant toll on long-term sustainable development.