Pretoria - South Africa's economy expanded to a growth rate of 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2011, Statistics SA said on Tuesday.
This was up from a revised 1.7% in the previous quarter, said Gerhardt Bouwer, executive manager national accounts at Statistics SA in Pretoria.
The largest contributors to growth were the trade industries: wholesale, retail and motor, catering and accommodation.
This was followed by the manufacturing industry and general government services.
The first preliminary estimate of growth for 2011 was 3.1%, Bouwer said.
This was an improvement on 2010's growth rate of 2.9%.