TOULOUSE, France — In their rivalry as the world’s leading makers of passenger aircraft, Airbus captured the lead in jets ordered last year, but Boeing delivered more planes to customers.

A strong recovery in demand for more fuel-efficient jets — particularly for long-range twin-aisle models from airlines in the Persian Gulf and Asia — helped push Airbus ahead of its American rival. Airbus had net orders of 1,503 planes last year, compared with 1,355 for Boeing, according to figures released by Airbus.

The total value of Airbus’s net orders for 2013 stood at $225 billion, compared with $198 billion for Boeing. That gave Airbus a 53 percent share of the market by value.

The value of new orders reflected in part Airbus’s dominant position in the market for the most expensive type of jet: large wide-bodies with more than 400 seats, such as the twin-deck A380. Airbus received 54 new orders for the plane, compared with just 12 orders for Boeing’s stretch version of the 747.