This paper deals with the elastic stability of a circular annular plate under uniform compressive forces applied at its edges. By integrating the equilibrium equation of the buckled plate, the problem is solved in its most general form for twelve different combinations of the boundary conditions of the edges. For each case cited the lowest critical loads are calculated with the ratio of its radii as the parameter. It is clarified that the assumption of symmetrical buckling, which has been made by several researchers, often leads to the overestimate for the stability of the plate. Discussions for the limiting cases of the circular plate and infinite strip also are included.