BEIJING, Jan. 6 -- China's logistics sector grew at a slightly slower pace in December compared with a month earlier, according to figures released Monday.

The logistics performance index (LPI) for December stood at 52.4 percent, down 0.6 percentage points from November, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in a statement.

A reading above 50 percent indicates expansion from the previous month, while a reading below indicates contraction.

He Hui, deputy director of the China Logistics Information Center, attributed the decline mainly to a slowdown in production activities at the end of the year.

The federation began collecting LPI data from more than 300 logistics companies in December 2011. Since then, the index has stayed above 50 percent.