 In 1886, at the end of the Ottoman era, Abasan al-Saghira consisted of about ten huts, with old building stones.In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, "Abassan" (presumably both Abasan al-Kabira and Abasan al-Saghira) had a population of 695; all Muslims, increasing in the 1931 census (when they were clearly counted together) to 1144, still all Muslim, in 186 houses.In the 1945 statistics the two Abasans were still counted together, and had a population of 2,230, all Muslims, with 16,084 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.