Our sales represented 12% of our total in the fourth quarter and 11% for the full year 2023. Fourth quarter sales once again grew strongly from prior year, increasing by 18% in U.S. dollars and 17% in local currency. On an organic basis, sales in the defense market increased by 15%, with broad-based growth across virtually all defense applications, particularly strong in naval, helicopters, communications and airframe applications. Sequentially, our sales increased by a better-than-expected 4% from the third quarter. For the full year 2023, sales in the defense market grew by 20% in U.S. dollars in local currency and by 18% organically. This reflected our operational execution, as well as broad strength across most segments of the defense market, and that particularly related to naval, aircraft engine, helicopter, communications and space-related applications.
Looking ahead, we expect sales in the first quarter to decline in the mid-single digits sequentially, and we remain very encouraged by the company’s strengthened position in the defense market, where we continue to offer the industry’s widest range of high-technology interconnect products. Amidst today’s dynamic geopolitical environment, countries around the world are expanding their investments in both current and next-generation defense technologies, thereby increasing the long-term demand potential for Amphenol. We are well positioned to accelerate our new product development and increase our capacity to support this demand long into the future. The commercial air market represented 3% of our sales in the quarter and 4% of our sales for the full year 2023.
In the fourth quarter, our sales grew by a very strong 25% in U.S. dollars and 23% in local currency and organically, and this was driven by broad-based strength across all aircraft applications. Sequentially, our sales grew by 1% from the third quarter, which was actually ahead of our expectations for a modest seasonal decline. For the full year 2023, sales increased by a very robust 36% in U.S. dollar local currency and organically, reflecting our strong design-in positions on a broad range of platforms, as well as broad-based demand across all aircraft applications. Looking into the first quarter, we expect sales to remain at these lofty fourth quarter levels. I’m truly proud of our team working in the commercial air market. With the ongoing recovery in travel and thus demand for jetliners, our efforts to strengthen our breadth of high-technology interconnect products, while diversifying our market position into next-generation aircraft are paying real dividends.
We continue to see great long-term opportunities for expansion of our technology offering to this important market and look forward to realizing the benefits of those growth initiatives for many years to come. The industrial market represented 23% of our sales in the quarter and 25% of our sales for the full year. Our sales in the fourth quarter did decline by 4% in U.S. dollars, 5% in local currencies and 12% organically as growth that we realized in oil and gas, rail mass transit and marine applications was more than offset by moderations in demand in other segments, including battery and electric heavy vehicles, building automation, transportation and heavy equipment. In addition, our sales into the industrial distribution channel continued to be more muted than they were a year ago.
On a sequential basis, sales grew by 1%, but that was driven primarily by acquisitions that we did close in the quarter. For the full year 2023, sales were flat in U.S. dollars in local currency and declined by 7% organically as the contribution from acquisitions was offset by weakness in instrumentation, battery and EV, and electric heavy vehicles, factory automation and heavy equipment applications in particular. Looking into the first quarter, we expect sales to remain at these levels as the benefit of recent acquisitions offset the modest organic sequential decline. Despite this near-term demand pause driven in particular by elevated inventory levels, both in the distribution channel as well as in certain end markets, I remain proud of our outstanding global team working in the industrial market.
We are very excited by the additions of TPC, Airmar, LID and PCTEL, each of which adds complementary new interconnect sensor and antenna technologies to our industrial product offering. And I’m confident that our long-term strategy to expand our high-technology interconnect antenna sensor offering, both organically and through complementary acquisitions has positioned us to capitalize on the many revolutions that will no doubt continue to occur across the industrial electronics market. The automotive market represented 24% of our sales in the quarter and 23% of our sales for the full year. Sales in the fourth quarter grew by a robust 16% in U.S. dollars and 15% in local currency, and on an organic basis, our sales to the automotive market increased by 12%.
