BERLIN (AP) — German factory orders rebounded in April, rising by a stronger-than-expected 3.1 percent compared with the previous month with help from a surge in demand from other countries in the eurozone.

The increase reported Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office was more than double the 1.4 percent rise economists had forecast. It followed a surprise 2.8 percent fall in March.

Domestic orders were unchanged over the previous month but the statistical office says demand from abroad rose 5.5 percent — led by a 9.9 percent increase in orders from the other 17 countries that use the euro.

The German economy, Europe’s biggest, has accelerated this year. It grew by a robust 0.8 percent in the first quarter compared with the previous three-month period.

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