The gross domestic product (GDP) of Saudi Arabia increased by 6.6 percent from a year earlier in the fourth quarter of last year, accelerating from 5.1 percent growth in the third quarter, the Central Department of Statistics and Information in Riyadh said. The oil sector, which accounts for nearly a third of the economy, expanded 6.1 per cent in the fourth quarter. While the private sector growth, at 9.9 per cent, far outpaced the state sector's 3.6 per cent expansion. The construction sector expanded 13.3 per cent because of a real estate boom and heavy government spending on infrastructure. High oil prices and state spending ignited a boom in the Saudi economy last year. The government previously announced that GDP grew 6.8 per cent in 2011, up from 4.6 per cent in 2010 and its fastest expansion since 2003.