 In 1883, the Palestine Exploration Fund's "Survey of Western Palestine", described it as "a small village in flat open ground, with a well to the north".In 1896 the population of "Bet Safafa" was estimated to be about 180 persons.At the time of the 1922 census of Palestine, Beit Safafa had a population of 716, all Muslim, which increased to 997 Muslims and 24 Christians in the 1931 census.