SINGAPORE, Jan. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated to be up 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005 in comparison with the same period of the previous year.

    According to the advanced estimates released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Tuesday, the country's overall economy expanded by 5.7 percent in 2005.

    The growth rate for the manufacturing sector was estimated at 11.5 percent, mainly supported by the strong performance in the biomedical, transport engineering and electronics clusters. The sector was estimated to be up 8.6 percent for the whole of last year.

    The construction sector's growth rose 0.8 percent in the fourth quarter, according to MTI's estimates.

    The whole-year growth rate for services was estimated at 5.4 percent. Enditem