Credit ratings are evaluations of creditworthiness conducted by agencies to assess a debtor's ability to repay debts and likelihood of default. The ratings are based on both qualitative and quantitative analysis of public and private information about a company or government. Credit ratings indicate the level of risk to investors and are used by those purchasing bonds to determine the probability that future obligations will be paid. Ratings can assess nations' creditworthiness and investing environments through sovereign ratings, taking political risk into account.