Singapore's economy contracted 4.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 on a seasonally-adjusted, annualised basis from the previous quarter, hurt by a sharp contraction in manufacturing, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday.

The economy grew 4.8 percent in 2011, slightly below the government’s forecast of about 5 percent.

From a year ago, Singapore’s gross domestic product expanded 3.6 percent, in line with the median forecast in the Reuters poll.