FRANKFURT - German exports increased in November as demand from emerging markets helped Europe's largest economy weather the region's sovereign debt crisis.

Exports, adjusted for working days and seasonal changes, rose 0.5 percent from October, when they dropped 1.3 percent, the Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden said on Friday. Economists had forecast a gain of 1 percent, according to the median of eight estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. Imports increased 4.1 percent from October, when they rose 0.1 percent.

The Bundesbank says Germany's economy grew 3.6 percent last year, the most since reunification two decades ago, as booming foreign sales fueled domestic investment and hiring. With governments across the euro area cutting spending to rein in deficits, German companies are tapping demand for their goods in faster-growing regions such as Asia. Factory orders from outside Europe's currency bloc surged 14.8 percent in November, the Economy Ministry said on Thursday.