SINGAPORE, April 12 (Reuters) - Singapore's economy grew more than expected in the first quarter from the quarter before on an annualised basis, preliminary data showed on Friday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2.0 percent in the January-March period from the previous three months on an annualised and seasonally adjusted basis, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a statement.

It was forecast to have expanded 1.2 percent on a quarter-on-quarter, seasonally adjusted and annualised basis, a Reuters poll showed.

From the year ago, GDP grew 1.3 percent in the first quarter, below the 1.5 percent expansion forecast in the poll. (Reporting by Fathin Ungku; Editing by Sam Holmes)