BOGOTA, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Colombia's economy grew just 0.6% last year, the government's DANE statistics agency said on Thursday, boosted by growth in the finance and entertainment sectors, but below the 1.1% expansion forecast by economists in a Reuters poll.

Growth was 0.3% in the fourth quarter, compared to the same period a year earlier, said Piedad Urdinola, DANE's director.

The quarterly growth was also below the 1% forecast in the Reuters poll published last week.

The data could further motivate leftist President Gustavo Petro to continue his long-running calls for the country's central bank to more aggressively lower interest rates.

The 2023 growth figure also could lead to sharper rate cuts, analysts said.

"It's a disappointing figure that confirms that the economy is weaker than predicted, and even if some sectors are giving support, others have been really hit and this will probably lead the central bank to act more notably in terms of the interest rate," said Camilo Perez, head economist at the Banco de Bogota.

Colombia last year saw its highest interest rates in almost a quarter of a century as monetary policymakers tried to bring rampant inflation - sometimes more than four times greater than the central bank's 3% target - to heel.

The country's economic expansion in 2023 was tied to the financial and insurance industries, which expanded 7.9%, while entertainment and artistic activities grew 7.0%.

Public administration, which includes defense, education and health, expanded by 3.9%. Construction contracted by 4.2%, while manufacturing shrank by 3.5% and transport also shed 2.8%.

Growth in the fourth quarter was 0.04% versus the third quarter.

The central bank launched a loosening monetary cycle in December, with a 25-basis-point cut to the benchmark interest rate. It repeated that move last month, bringing the rate to 12.75%, in a bid to bolster the economic recovery.

The government expects the economy to grow by 1.5% this year, while the International Monetary Fund sees expansion of 1.3% in Latin America's fourth-largest economy. The central bank has forecast growth of 0.8%. (Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra and Carlos Vargas; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Paul Simao)