Based on archival material, available and relevant literature and newspaper articles, this paper reconstructs the life of the inhabitants of the island of Krk during the First World War. The aims of the research were to question the extent to which the manifestations and consequences of the war affected the economic and social flows of the island, which was a peripheral part of the Austrian province of Istria. The island of Krk welcomed the beginning of the 20th century with optimistic views on the overall economic and social trends. Tourism has emerged as a new economic activity, and every year has brought more foreign guests, and by analogy, financial resources, which have been invested in the construction of cultural and educational facilities. People's homes, schools and reading rooms have become centers of social life in coastal towns. They had a rich cultural and entertaining life, theatrical performances as well as concerts of brass or tamburitza orchestras and the Croatian papers were read. The developmental path of the Krk economy and social life was interrupted by the First World War at the end of July 1914. The author answers the question of how the First World War caused disruption of the general demographic flows on the island and how did it impact the daily life of its inhabitants. Starting from the thesis that the global war conflict largely determines the economic and social relations and processes of any micro location, the author shows that the life of the inhabitants of the island of Krk has been subordinated to the war situation and the war economy since the very beginning of the war. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was not an economic power, consequently, its economy could not endure a protracted war. That is why the state authorities turned to their own population and counted on his affection for the Emperor and the homeland. The burden that the inhabitants of the Monarchy and therefore of the island of Krk had to carry was increasing exponentially as the war progressed. Women, older children and men who remained on the island were burdened with farming jobs, collecting various supplies for the military, organizing humanitarian campaigns to assist war widows and orphans, and requisitioning metal and a wide range of raw materials needed by the state and the military. Mobilization of men and their long absence from the island, put the women from the island to the fore of the economic field. Their affirmation was not complete because, for example, they didn't make part of the administrative life of the Krk municipalities. They could affirm their potential as teachers, midwives or shopkeepers. Emancipation was not a prospect, especially regarding the equalization of earnings in the same jobs done by men. As soldiers, people from Krk participated in all fronts fought by the Austro-Hungarian army. Many died and were injured or disabled on the Russian, Balkan or Soča battlefields. As prisoners of war, men from the island were found in Italian, Serbian, Russian and all the way to Japanese prison camps. Preliminary surveys show that the total number of Krk war casualties made up 3.54% of the total island population according to the 1910 census. Concerning the working population, this had a negative impact on the island's economic strength in the post-war times. Comparison of pre-war demographic trends with those in the immediate post-war period has shown that economic and social recovery will continue long after the end of the war. The negative view was certainly contributed by the Italian occupation of the island in mid-November 1918. Only after the departure of the occupying power in April 1921 and the incorporation into the state legal framework of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes will the island of Krk and its population embark on a path of general economic and social stabilization.